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Defamation expert weighs in on Trevor Mallard's court case

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 29 Jan 2020, 2:06PM
Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard is being sued. (Photo / NZ Herald)

Defamation expert weighs in on Trevor Mallard's court case

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 29 Jan 2020, 2:06PM

A defamation expert says proving you are identifiable is crucial to making a case for defamation.

Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper says Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard's being sued for defamation - after last year saying a rapist was working at Parliament.

He says the action is being taken by the Parliamentary worker who was stood down later on the day of Mallard's claim.

Chris Patterson, a barrister with expertise in defamation, told Mike Hosking defamation action is always difficult if a person hasn't been directly named.

"They've been cases where someone's been defamed has been named, but it's very clear in the context who the person being referred to is."

He says the whole point of defamation is to compensate someone when their reputation has been damaged.

"If you don't know who that person is, then their reputation can't be damaged."

Newstalk ZB has approached Mallard for comment.

 

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