Defamation Act 2013

Question 1

Section 1 -Defamatory

Answer 1

A statement is defamatory if it has caused serious harm to that person’s reputation, or is likely to cause serious harm.

Question 2

Section 4 - Public Interest

Answer 2

Is the defense of ‘publication on a matter of public interest’

Question 3

Section 8 Single Publication Rule

Answer 3

12-month limitation period for bringing a defamation action runs from the date of the first publication viewed by the public.

Question 4

Section 2 Truth Defence

Answer 4

Requires that the published material complained of can be proven in court to be substantially true.

Question 5

Section 3 Honest Opinion

Answer 5

Be the honestly held opinion of the person making it, be recognizable by the reader/viewer/listener as opinion rather than factual allegation, be based on a provably true fact/privileged material, explicitly or implicitly indicate the fact or information on which it was based.

Question 6

Section 5 - Website Operators

Answer 6

Provides a defense for website operators (protection from readers comments)