Pillon v Riverina Newspapers (Griffith) Pty Ltd

In *Pillon v Riverina Newspapers (Griffith) Pty Ltd* [1989] NSWCA 165, the New South Wales Court of Appeal considered an appeal from a decision of the District Court concerning an action for defamation. The appellant, Mr Pillon, had sued the respondent, Riverina Newspapers (Griffith) Pty Ltd, for damages arising from an article published in the Griffith area.

The central legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the newspaper article, which referred to the appellant in the context of a criminal investigation, was capable of bearing a defamatory meaning. Specifically, the court had to determine if the words used, when read by ordinary reasonable persons in the Griffith community, would tend to lower the appellant in their estimation or expose him to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.

The Court of Appeal, in its reasoning, applied established principles of defamation law. It considered the ordinary meaning of the words published, taking into account the context in which they appeared. The court affirmed that a statement is defamatory if it injures the reputation of the plaintiff in the minds of ordinary reasonable members of society. The appeal was ultimately dismissed, with the court finding that the article, as published, was not capable of bearing a defamatory meaning in relation to the appellant.