Australian Broadcaster Wins Defamation Case Against High-Profile Surgeon

Nine News has won a defamation case against high-profile surgeon Dr. Al Muderis, with a judge ruling that the network reasonably believed its journalism was in the public interest. The case was one of the first major tests of the public interest defense for reporting in Australian defamation law. Nine argued that Dr. Al Muderis had been incapable of admitting his errors, leaving patients "devastated," and that he had operated negligently. The judge considered evidence from 22 patients who underwent osseointegration surgery with Dr. Al Muderis.