Broadcaster Alan Jones declined an offer to settle a lawsuit alleging he defamed a prominent Queensland family by blaming them for the deaths of 12 people in the 2011 Grantham floods because he would not agreed to the terms of a proposed apology.
The judge overseeing Geoffrey Rush’s defamation trial interjected in Nationwide News’ closing submissions on Wednesday, expressing doubt about the publisher’s interpretation of evidence — including a text message with a tongue emoji Rush sent to his accuser — said to back its defence in the case.
Actor Geoffrey Rush is seeking to suppress an amended defence by Nationwide News, arguing that if they’re made public the amendments could cause him “irreparable harm”.
Geoffrey Rush’s co-star Eryn Jean Norvill took the stand Tuesday in the actor’s defamation case against Nationwide News, telling a court she felt “panicked” and “trapped” by Rush’s allegedly inappropriate behaviour during a production of King Lear at the Sydney Theatre Company.
Nationwide News says two expert reports written by a friend and agent of actor Geoffrey Rush should be thrown out because the two are advocates for Rush, as the first week in the closely watched defamation trial wrapped up.
The director of the King Lear production at the centre of a defamation case brought by Geoffrey Rush said on the witness stand Thursday he never told the actor his behaviour toward co-star Eyrn Jean Norvill had become “creepy”.
Geoffrey Rush was cross-examined at length on Tuesday about the meaning behind a text he sent to colleague Eryn Jean Norvill that included an emoji with its tongue sticking out, during the second day of trial in the defamation case against Nationwide News.