#MeToo

Geoffrey Rush has court win against Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper
By Ashleigh Raper
Updated about 6 hours ago

PHOTO: Actor Geoffrey Rush won the best actor Academy Award in 1996. (AAP: Alan Porritt)
Geoffrey Rush has been successful in his attempt to stop parts of The Daily Telegraph's defence being heard when his defamation case against the newspaper goes to trial.

The actor launched legal proceedings against the newspaper's owner Nationwide News Pty Ltd after it published articles alleging he engaged in inappropriate behaviour while performing in a 2015 Sydney Theatre Company (STC) production.

The Oscar-winner alleges the articles, which went to print late last year, defame him.

Ahead of the defamation case hearing, Rush's legal team challenged two parts of The Daily Telegraph's defence case and moved to have them struck out.

PHOTO: The articles were published in Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper. (ABC News: Dan Cox)


The defence's case rests on the allegations being substantially true and their publishing was reasonable in the circumstances.

Federal Court Judge Justice Michael Wigney found the allegations were not "sufficiently specific and precise" and were "vague and imprecise".

"Inadequate and insufficient details are given about the alleged touching," Justice Wigney told the Federal Court in Sydney today.

"What part of Mr Rush relevantly touched the actress? And what part of the actress' body was touched?"

Justice denies 'fishing expedition'
The Daily Telegraph reported a complaint had been made against Rush during a STC production of King Lear.

Justice Wigney also ruled Nationwide News' subpoena to the STC, which required it to produce documents relating to complaint be set aside.

"The publisher is not permitted to undertake what is referred to colloquially as a 'fishing expedition' in the hope of finding something in support of its plea," Justice Wigney told the court.

"It should not be permitted to use the court's compulsory processes to obtain information and evidence so as to establish a defence."

After the decision was handed down, Rush's legal team pushed for a trial date to be set as soon as possible so their client "can be vindicated".

It is not yet clear whether The Daily Telegraph's legal team will appeal the decision.

Rush was not in court today.

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Indeed, McIntosh, whose firms works globally and does most of its business in the U.S. and Canada, says she has experienced the #MeToo backlash herself.

“Some men will not meet alone with me,” she said, recalling a recent incident in which she said the CEO of a billion-dollar company specifically alluded to #MeToo after requesting that a third party be present at what was to be a one-on-one meeting.

“It’s the first time in 21 years that’s happened to me,” said McIntosh.

That attitude has also garnered a popular moniker. It’s known as the “Pence Principle” or “Pence Rule,” in a nod to U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, who reportedly avoids dining alone or attending events where alcohol is served, without his wife Karen at his side.

“CEOs are very concerned about some of the stories circulating inside their organizations and how to continue to run their business,” said McIntosh. But shutting out women is not the answer, she added.

It may not seem like much, but male executives refusing to remain alone with female colleagues could make a big difference because that’s when, often, mentoring relationships are formed.

In corporate settings, she says, change tends to come from above. Male leaders need to help women climb the corporate ladder, as they have been for decades with junior male colleagues..............

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Darc Knight said:

Problem is the genuinely victimized Women may not be taken seriously because so many non-genuine Women jump on the bandwagon.

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Darc Knight said:

Problem is the genuinely victimized Women may not be taken seriously because so many non-genuine Women jump on the bandwagon.

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basilio said:

And can anyone identify many (any) non-genuine women jumping on the band wagon ? I havn't seen any to date beyond bald statements with absolutely no back up evidence.

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basilio said:

I think we have a misunderstanding here Rumpy. The incident you referenced (one incident, two reports) was a false sex allegation by a young girl in a current situation. It happens - like other incidents where people try to get someone in trouble or get out of pickle themselves.

I understood Darc Night to say that because of Me Too many more people are jumping on the band wagon of reporting old sex assault incidents. Things that happened years ago but were buried as just too hard to fight for.

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The #MeToo movement is now an undeniable force in American culture—but a new poll is a reminder that not everyone thinks it’s entirely a force for good.

According to a new poll of 6,251 adults released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday, 31% of respondents say that women making false claims about being sexually harassed or assaulted is a major problem in today’s workplace. Another 45% think baseless allegations are a minor problem.

Interestingly, there’s no gender divide among those who believe that false reports are a major problem: that 31% of respondents is split equally between men and women. There is, however, a partisan split: Republican or Republican-leaning responders were more likely to identify the issue as problem (34%) than Democrats or Democrat-leaning (29%).


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Along the same lines, 34% of poll takers told Pew that employers firing accused men before finding out all the facts is a major issue (39% called it a minor problem).



That’s not to say that Americans aren’t concerned about the victims of sexual harassment. The poll, conducted from Feb. 26 to March 11, finds that a full 50% of respondents believe that men getting away with sexual harassment or assault remains a major problem, while 46% say the same of women not being believed. And the scale of the problem is clear: 59% of women and 27% of men told Pew they have been sexually harassed at work.

Still, the data suggests that observers are deeply skeptical that the current sexual harassment-related shake-up will result in a fairer and more gender-neutral workplace. More than half of poll respondents told Pew that the increased focus on harassment will make it harder for men to interact with women at work (at 55%, men were slightly more likely to say so than women.) The older the cohort, the more likely they were to say that #MeToo will make such interactions harder on men.

Respondents found the outlook for women equally bleak: 51% said that the current reckoning over sexual harassment and assault will not make “much difference” in the opportunities available to women in the workplace.

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SirRumpole said:

Actually they were separate incidents bas, you obviously didn't read them.

One in the UK, one in Oz.

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Tisme said:

LNP expelling the women candidates faster than #metoo can catchup?

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gloomyjelly

30 points·4 days ago


they just started a new policy at work we all call the "metoo policy". basically women can't be alone in an office or company vehicle with a man without a chaperone. the women are pissed because they are getting passed over for promotions because the higher ups don't want to get metoo'd. a few have all male staff now. a few famous men may go down, but in the end it's the women that are going to suffer the most over all this nonsense. I'm going to gain 100lbs from all the popcorn. XD

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basilio said:

Saw "Shame" last night on SBS. Australian movie in an outback town where casual rape is just what happens and attempting to do anything about it goes nowhere.

Well worth a look.
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainmen...ame-is-still-so-relevant-20170811-gxu44q.html

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