Legal action against the Nine Network over the use of photographs of Dawn Singleton, the daughter of adman John Singleton, a victim of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbings, has been settled.
The claim, by her fiance, police officer Ashley Wildey, and her mother, Julie Singleton, had centred on the use of photos of Dawn Singleton taken from social media.
Nine had been expected to claim defence under section 42 of the Copyright Act which exempts reporters under fair dealing provisions.
The parties have now agreed to orders giving judgment in favour of Nine. They will also bear their own legal costs.
The NSW Supreme Court told AdNews that a two-day hearing set down for July 7 and 8 had been “vacated”.
Had the case proceeded to a hearing, the decision would have had implications for all Australian media outlets.
“Nine welcomes the NSW Supreme Court judgment in favour of Nine confirming that the photos, which were widely published by multiple media outlets throughout Australia and overseas after being placed on social media, were appropriately used by Nine,” a Nine spokesperson told AdNews.
Singleton was one of six people killed by Joel Cauchi in April 2024. He was shot dead by police.
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