A court has rejected a cosmetic surgeon’s second attempt to see drafts of an investigation by award-winning journalist Adele Ferguson, which is due to be published by 60 Minutes, The Herald and The Age.
Dr. Joseph Ajaka, the founder of the Cosmos Clinic, sued the media in the NSW Supreme Court last month for his lawyers to inspect the draft stories because he believed they could defame him or constitute harmful falsehood. .
Investigative journalist Adele Ferguson. Credit: Simon Schluter
Ferguson had sent detailed questions to Ajaka in an email and filed the lawsuit a few days later when he saw a 60-minute promotion.
The cosmetic surgeon initially obtained an order for the delivery of the stories, but this Wednesday was rejected in the Court of Appeal. Ajaka’s lawyers then took further action to inspect the drafts.
On Thursday, Judge Stephen Rothman dismissed the second request and ordered Ajaka to pay the media costs.
Dr. Matt Collins, QC, who appeared in the media, had argued that ordering his clients to deliver the drafts would place the court in a quasi-editorial role and lead to the issues of stories that usually filed lawsuits before publication. .
He said Ajaka’s request was “hopeless” and an abuse of process because it was based on the same material as the previous attempt.
Tory Maguire, the executive editor of The Herald and The Age, praised the court’s decision.
“We are very pleased with this afternoon’s ruling in the Supreme Court dismissing this unorthodox and trying to curb press freedom,” Maguire said.