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‘Pack of lies’: High-profile criminal lawyer sues Daily Telegraph for defamation
A Sydney criminal lawyer has accused The Daily Telegraph of defaming him in a piece that portrays him as being so “ravaged by age” that he is unfit to practise. Proceedings have been launched to have the media company answer to the “pack of lies”.
Naomi Neilson
Chris Murphy has retained the help of a defamation lawyer to address “untruths” within an article written by The Daily Telegraph’s columnist Annette Sharp, he said in a series of tweets. His lawyers have filed Federal Court proceedings over the 10 October piece, in which Ms Sharp reported on the breakdown of his 25-year marriage.
Mr Murphy’s lawyers said the column gives false and defamatory implications that have made him out to be unfit to practise and “incapable of representing his clients”, despite his own admissions – and a year’s worth of proof – that he has continued to assist and provide advice to those in need “from penthouse to pavement” without issue.
“It’s the third time I have had to sue The Daily Telegraph for defaming me,” Mr Murphy tweeted, adding he is looking forward to seeing the “gossip” columnist in court.
Mr Murphy is seeking damages and has ordered the article be removed and Ms Sharp and the Telegraph be restricted from repeating the statements. His lawyers have made the claims that the article was written with malice to support these damages, asserting that the statements were made in retaliation to an earlier defamation suit.
Media reports have indicated that Mr Murphy requested an apology from the columnist and the Telegraph but has not yet received one. His lawyers have also alleged that he was not given a chance to respond to the article before it was published.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
