The Daily Mail Australia is launching an appeal after losing a defamation case launched by broadcaster Erin Molan and being ordered to pay her $150,000 plus interest.
The Canberra Times has reported that The Daily Mail Australia filed an appeal on Tuesday. The appeal will be held in the Full Federal Court before a three-judge panel.
Molan’s win against the publication follows a prominent trend of individuals winning against publications. From Rebel Wilson being awarded a record amount after suing Bauer Media to Geoffrey Rush winning against News Corp.
The original defamation case stems over an article and two separate tweets that Molan alleged portrayed her as racist. The Daily Mail Australia was reporting on Molan’s mispronunciation of Polynesian names.
Molan claimed in court that their coverage of Molan’s mistake painted her as “racist,” and ultimately defamed her. The Daily Mail Australia were arguing a truth defence.
Interestingly, The Daily Telegraph reported that Justice Robert Bromwich found that the publisher had made five imputations that were not proven to be substantially true regarding the online article and ordered the publication to pay up.
But instead of opening up its wallet, The Daily Mail Australia has opted to head back to court and fight the case even further, which is a bold choice when considering how expensive defamation cases are.
