ACTION FOR LIBEL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 154, 11 April 1930, Page 2

ACTION FOR LIBEL.

A TAXI-DRIVER’S CLAIM. SUM OF £SO AWARDED. (Special to the “Guardian.”) ' CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A claim of £2OO damages for alleged libel was brought against the “Sun” newspaper in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The plaintiff was George William Goodge, a taxi-driver, of Bletsoe Avenue, who alleged that on January 20 a false, and' malicious statement was published against him by the defendant newspaper. The case arose out of a report of a by-law prosecution in which Goodge was fined 5s for being asleep in his taxi-cab. For' the defence, Mr Hutchison said that no attack had been made on the plaintiff’s reputation, and the company had offered to apologise. The mistake was an unfortunate blunder. It had appeared in the second edition: but in subsequent editions the words complained of had been struck out. The company had agreed to apologise, and had paid into Court £SO, which amount, it was considered, was an overestimate, if anything, of the damage done to plaintiff. In the law of libel it was set down that apology could be taken in mitigation of a defamatory statement. The apology had been offered continuously and £SO had been paid into Court. The Magistrate (Mr H. A. Young) said there was no need to review the evidence, as there was notliing of a conflicting nature in it. He had perused the book showing plaintiff’s takings, and he was not satisfied that there had been any falling off in his business. Considering the nature of the defamatory statement, it seemed to him that the offer of an apology and £SO was adequate. Judgment was given for plaintiff for .the amount paid into. Court (£SO), and judgment for the defendant as on the balance.

Costs £7 10s. were granted the de fendants.