Couldnt happen to a nicer turd!


Hockey liable for 85 percent of legal costs in Fairfax Media defamation case

Treasurer Joe Hockey will be left to pay 85 percent of his legal costs after his defamation case against the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Federal Court Judge Richard White this month ruled Fairfax defamed Mr Hockey when the words "Treasurer for Sale" were used on a promotional poster for the Sydney Morning Herald on May 5 last year.

Mr Hockey was awarded damages of $120,000 for the poster and $80,000 for two similarly worded tweets from The Age newspaper.

But today, Fairfax Media was ordered to pay just 15 percent of Mr Hockey’s costs in relation to his claims against the Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Earlier the judge dismissed Mr Hockey's claims over the content of the articles themselves, published in the Herald, Age and Canberra Times.

He said the articles were of "considerable public interest".

Justice White said Mr Hockey - who had taken the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times to court - had failed altogether in his claim against the ACT paper.

But he rejected Fairfax's submission the treasurer was unsuccessful in his proceedings against the Melbourne and Sydney titles.

Mr Hockey was not in court during today's proceedings.

It is likely that Mr Hockey will be out of pocket from the legal proceedings following the costs ruling.

Justice White dismissed claims by Mr Hockey that Fairfax had been unreasonable in not settling the matter before it went to trial.

"It cannot be said to have been unreasonable for the SMH and The Age to refuse to agree to a settlement requiring them to pay damages significantly in excess of the liability found against them," Justice White added.

It comes after Mr Hockey's barrister Bruce McClintock SC told a costs hearing earlier this month that Fairfax should pay at least 95 per cent of their costs.

But Fairfax's barrister Sandy Dawson said the case "was an unmitigated disaster for Mr Hockey and a costs order should reflect that".

He argued Mr Hockey should be footing 60 percent of their bill.

Justice White said that it was plain Mr Hockey was not entitled for his costs in the matters against The Age and the SMH to be paid in full, as "he failed on the matters which were the real core of his claim".

Had he just sued the publisher over the poster and the two tweets, the matter may not have gone to trial at all, Justice White said.

Mr Hockey was awarded damages of $120,000 for the poster and $80,000 for two similarly worded tweets but his claim over the content of the articles was dismissed.

The articles said Mr Hockey gave access to a select group in return for donations to the Liberal Party via the North Sydney Forum, a fundraising organisation whose activities were not fully disclosed to election funding authorities.


Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/07/22/03/38/court-near-judgment-on-hockey-...

Bloody lefty judges, I tell ya.

gawd its hilarious a lib dies one day and the next one gets hit with a massive bill... its GOLD i tell ya,.

good job he can afford it..at least the smh got some of it to pay as well as the defamation money....at least the cooked smh wont be taking those liberties again..

Nearly a million in legal bills , goodness me , going to wear the BMW comcars out going to all those fundraisers , thats a bit of bad news joe 

I wonder if this means he will have to sell his car or cars since poor people don't drive. I certainly hope so.

Its time wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2015 at 8:33pm:


Will he pay personally, or will you and I?

ImSpartacus2 wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2015 at 8:30pm:


Might have to sell the wife's house in Canberra.