Former Chaser comedian Julian Morrow’s court case with former collaborator Nick Murray has finally come to an end, and it didn’t end in Morrow’s favour.
Morrow and Murray have been locked in a legal battle since their working relationship soured. The two were business partners from 2013-to 2018.
Ultimately, it all ended badly and Morrow alleged that Murray had defamed him to ABC executives after they had a business falling out.
Then there were also the more complex allegations where Murray was alleging Morrow had been deceitful during contract negotiations.
Basically, both of their companies had a stake in the Australian consumer affairs television show, The Checkout. After the show was seemingly cancelled, or at the very least on hiatus after six lucrative seasons. Murray’s company Cordell Jigsaw agreed to sell its share to Morrow’s company Giant Dwarf.
However, later Murray found out that during this period, Morrow had failed to disclose that he was already in. negotiations with the ABC to make a similar show called, Are You Being Served?
When Murray got wind of this, he refused to sign a release that would mean the new show could get the green light.
Ultimately, the two ended up in a court over the allegations, and after a 10-day trial, Justice James Stevenson ordered $35,000 in damages to Morrow.
Interestingly, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Justice Stevenson made it clear he didn’t think Murray’s remarks led to an economical loss.
However, Morrow didn’t end up a winner as Judge Stevenson also found Morrow engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.
The Australian reported that Justice Stevenson said: “It’s just a ridiculous situation to be here, having spent all this money, three years later when that’s the result that we said would happen all along,
“A guy who was a lecturer in ethics and allegedly a champion of the consumer law … breached his duties, and he engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.
“By not informing Mr Murray of his dealings with the ABC during March and April 2019, Mr Morrow engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct.
“As soon as the share sales agreement was executed, Justice Stevenson said Morrow told the ABC “we should now proceed” to produce a seventh season of The Checkout – a “breach” of their agreement.
“Mr Murray had no knowledge of Mr Morrow’s communications with the ABC, nor the advanced state of his negotiations with them.
“Mr Morrow, in effect, instructed the ABC not to inform Mr Murray of those matters.”
