Justice Richard White found that a poster headline and tweets reading "Treasurer for sale" were defamatory.So, it seems virtually certain that, even if these figures are out a bit, Joe has probably lost a year's salary (at least) by virtue of his defamation "victory".
All other claims made by Mr Hockey were dismissed.
In the Federal Court today, Justice White ordered that Fairfax pay no more than 15 per cent of Mr Hockey's recoverable costs.
This means his legal bill is expected to be far in excess of the $200,000 he was awarded.
A source close to the case dismissed speculation Fairfax and Mr Hockey each incurred more than $1 million in legal bills.
However, the bill for both parties combined is expected to top $1 million.
If that is the case, Mr Hockey would net $250,000 from Fairfax in damages and costs but face a legal bill of about $500,000.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
The very definition of Pyrrhic victory
Joe Hockey defamation trial: Treasurer to recover only small fraction of legal costs from Fairfax case - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
It's the moral victory that counts.
ReplyDeleteI hope his wife agrees.
ReplyDeleteAt least Hickey has an income. SMH loses money.
ReplyDeleteYes, what a great moral victory: financially punishing the main alternative newspaper publisher in the country, so that we could be left with Murdoch tabloids and the Daily Catallaxy (aka "The Australian").
ReplyDeleteThe judgement was crap anyway - people know stand alone headlines don't tell the story - they just grab attention.
I think everybody lost here. Hockey, Fairfax and the Judge.
ReplyDeleteMoral victory my ass. There was no moral victory. It is a legal argument. Morals are something else. Hockey has a thin skin. He can't handle criticism, look at how he ran away from the criticism of the first budget. The man is a coward. He wanted big legal and financial win. He lost. So once again he will go cry in a corner. What does Hockey know about morals anyway? A man who wanted to deprive under 25s of the dole for 6 months. Great way to promote theft related crimes, homelessness, and create a cohort for drug mules and dealers to exploit.
ReplyDelete