QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14704, 8 June 1908, Page 7

QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE

AN IMPORTANT JUDGAIENT.

Unit«l| Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received June 8. 1.19 a.m.l SYDNEY, June 7.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has delivered judgment in the case MTntosh v. Dun, an appeal from the decision of tho High Court of Australia. The case is one of the most important tried here. It involved the question of privilege with regard to tho right of publication by defendants of certain mercantile reports to subscribers, in which they made statements as to plaintiff’s business. Defendants pleaded privilege, but the Court gave plaintiff « verdict for £BOO. An appeal to the Full Court decided that the matter was privileged. An appeal followed to the High Court, which held that ft was privileged. The case then went to the Privy Council, with the result tliat- the original verdict for plaintiff stands.