Very Ex-Pollie David Leyonhjelm Cops $120,000 Whack For Defaming Greens Senator

David Leyonhjelm, the one-time Liberal Democrats Federal Senator who voluntarily quit his post in January to launch a bid for the NSW Legislative Council only to cop a fuckin’ trouncing on election day, has been ordered to pay current Federal Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young $120,000 in damages after a Federal Court ruled their on-going defamation case in Hanson-Young’s favour.

Hanson-Young sued Leyonhjelm for defamation over comments he made to the media last year over a series of heated Senate debates on violence against women, during which Leyonhjelm heckled Hanson-Young that she should “stop shagging men.”

That comment, due to it being made on the floor of Parliament, was protected by Parliamentary Privilege. However comments Leyonhjelm made on 7:30, Sky News, and 3AW afterwards became the subject of the defamation proceedings.

In those appearances, Leyonhjelm asserted Hanson-Young had said “all men are rapists,” and called her a hypocrite for stating that and yet still sleeping with men. He also claimed that Hanson-Young was a “misandrist.”

Hanson-Young steadfastly denied ever saying this, and the court today ruled that Leyonhjelm’s statements did not have any established basis of truth.

Leyonhjelm and his lawyers had attempted to claim the case was a breach of Parliamentary Privilege owing to the courts having to assess Hanson-Young’s remarks made on the senate floor, but that defence was dismissed.

Leyonhjelm will also have to pay interest on top of $120,000 in damages awarded to Hanson-Young, as well as legal costs. Those figures are yet to be calculated, but will make the final payout a fairly hefty one.

And to all that, you can only say: Ahh well my dude.

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