The summer break is barely over, but Australia’s first high-stakes defamation battle of the year is already underway.
In a country long considered one of the world’s defamation capitals, alleged high-ranking Hells Angels member Angelo Pandeli has launched legal action against News Corp Australia in the Federal Court.
The case, first reported by Capital Brief, will see Pandeli seeking aggravated damages over a series of articles published in print and online by The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun and Adelaide Advertiser between January and September last year. The claim also includes video content posted on News Corp Australia’s digital platforms.
The legal teams on both sides are a who’s who of defamation law. Pandeli has engaged Sydney criminal lawyer Paul McGirr and enlisted renowned defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC for the courtroom battle.
