Acquitted of murder but titled 'killer' by tabloid
Innocent man defamed by murder allegation in tabloid newspaper
Oliver was previously acquitted of a murder charge. However, a Sydney based tabloid paper posted an article online a few years later stating that he was a “killer”.
Consequently, Oliver suffered extreme distress after reading this article. He had already been through the Courts and received an acquittal of the charges. He faced a lot of scrutiny during the Court proceedings and experienced relief after his acquittal. However, the publication of the article prevented Oliver from moving on with his life. Many thousands of people could see this article. And many of those would be people important to Oliver. They would be family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues.
Defamation settlement and legal fees payment and removal of mentions
Oliver decided to sue for defamation.
Defamation is when your reputation suffers damage due to the publication of untrue words about you. In a print and online example like this one, the problem is what is known as libel.
He contacted us and we had a meeting to discuss his options. Subsequently, we sent a concerns notice to the Sydney tabloid newspaper. We managed to obtain a settlement whereby the tabloid newspaper removed the words “killer” from the article, deleted all social media posts related to the article, and published an apology and correction on the article. Additionally he got a sum of money and the tabloid paper committed to cover Oliver’s legal fees.
*Name changed for confidentiality
O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors are able to pursue your possible defamation claim anywhere in Australia. If you believe that you may have suffered defamation, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 02 9261 4281 or by email at . The first consultation with a senior defamation lawyer is absolutely free of charge and obligation.
