NSW politician Mark Latham has been ordered to pay the legal costs of fellow politician Alex Greenwich in relation to the defamation action which Greenwich won.
Latham was already ordered to pay $140,000 in damages to the independent MP after a judge found he had defamed Greenwich’s character in a social media post. It is anticipated the costs ruling will add an additional $500,000 to his financial requirements.
Justice David O’Callaghan today ruled that Latham should be responsible for costs on a party-party basis, which usually covers 70% of the winning party’s costs. Greenwich’s legal bill is anticipated to be around $600,000.
In the original statement of claim the Sydney MP said the then One Nation MP Latham has painted him as a “not fit and proper person” because he “engages in disgusting sexual activities”.
Latham’s lawyers said his tweet, which OUTinPerth has chosen not to republish, was a response to an interview where Greenwich had referred to his client as a “disgusting human being.”
The court found that Latham had overstepped the mark, and ordered him to pay up.
