On 7 February 2020 the Supreme Court of Western Australia held
that Mr Gregory McIntosh had defamed Mr Paul Andrew Armstrong when
he sent four text messages to a close friend that made certain
imputations about the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff was awarded $6,500
in damages, including $1,500 for aggravated compensatory damages,
and an injunction was issued against Mr McIntosh restricting him
from publishing the words or any similar words defamatory of the
Plaintiff.
The decision handed down in Armstrong v McIntosh [No 4]
[2020] WASC 31 has revealed the Court's willingness to
crack down on reputational attacks made through digital
communication pathways, and is a very real reminder of the need to
be wary when sending private communications that contain any
potentially defamatory content. This standpoint is demonstrated by
the Court's approach towards:
