Soon to be ex-Nine CEO Hugh Marks has called in defamation lawyer Mark O’Brien over an article published in Saturday’s The Daily Telegraph about the nature of his relationship with current partner and ex-Nine managing director of commercial, Alexi Baker.
O’Brien confirmed to the Nine-owned AFR that Marks had enlisted his services to commence legal proceedings against the News Corp masthead.
O’Brien sent a letter to The Daily Telegraph to say Marks would sue unless a Saturday column about his and Baker’s relationship, penned by gossip columnist Annette Sharp, was taken down and an apology given.
In the article, Sharp inferred to Baker’s relationship with Marks and subsequent salary. B&T will not post Sharp’s exact post due to their potentially defamatory nature.
In a statement to the AFR, Baker said the comments made in The Daily Telegraph are “false, have no basis and are highly damaging”.
Sharp’s article comes a week after Mark’s resignation from Nine, which occurred on the same day SMH‘s Private Sydney column publicly revealed his relationship with ex-employee Baker.
B&T has contacted News Corp and O’Brien for comment.
