Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick

Dow Jones & Co Inc and Gutnick
Dow Jones & Co Inc and Gutnick
Court	High Court of Australia
Full case name	Dow Jones & Company Inc and Gutnick
Decided	10 December 2002
Citations	[2002] HCA 56; (2002) CLR 575; (2002) 194 ALR 433; (2002) 77 ALJR 255;
Transcripts	18 October 2001; 14 November 2001; 14 December 2001; 14 May 2002; 28 May 2002; 28 July 2003; 3 October 2003;
Case history
Appealed from	Supreme Court of Victoria
Court membership
Judges sitting	Chief Justice Murray Gleeson; Justice Mary Gaudron; Justice Michael McHugh; Justice William Gummow; Justice Michael Kirby; Justice Kenneth Hayne; Justice Ian Callinan;
Case opinions
	Gutnick could sue Dow Jones in a Victorian court for defamation as: a person may sue for defamation in the jurisdiction where an alleged defamatory communication caused reputational damage (usually the place where the communication was received). This existing principle should not be modified for internet communications.; as Gutnick was only claiming damages related to reputational harm in Victoria, that jurisdiction was an appropriate forum to hear the case.;

Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick was an Internet defamation case heard in the High Court of Australia, decided on 10 December 2002. The 28 October 2000 edition of Barron's Online, published by Dow Jones, contained an article entitled "Unholy Gains" in which several references were made to the respondent, Joseph Gutnick. Gutnick contended that part of the article defamed him. A key judgement was that the suit could be brought in Australia.