Gina Rinehart was never going to particularly enjoy Channel Nine’s “House of Hancock” two-part miniseries: it’s from her rival Channel Nine, for starters, it received no approval from her for biographical accuracy, and her namesake was played by Rhonda, for god’s sake. No matter who you are, you’re always secretly hoping that the actor who has the privilege of portraying you is on the Cate Blanchett spectrum of things. With respect to Rhonda Mandy McElhinney, she’s no Cate.
Anyway. Ever since Channel Nine’s “House of Hancock” mini series on Rinehart’s mining mogul roots was gearing up to go on air, she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the prospect: after the first episode aired, she released a lengthy list of things she took umbrage with. Those included the portrayal of her relationship with her mother and an incorrect timeline of events surrounding Rinehart’s presence (or lack thereof) while her mother was dying (“a disgusting implication“), as well as the ugly portrayal of Rinehart’s relationship with her father.
Following that list and before the second part of the miniseries was aired, Rinehart took Channel Nine to court over the second episode, in an attempt to stop the final instalment airing on Channel Nine altogether. The move was partly successful – while the episode did go to air as scheduled, some key scenes were cut at the request of Rinehart. Money talks.
Today, SMH confirms that Gina Rinehart has filed supreme court documents against Channel Nine that claim both episodes of the miniseries were acts of defamation. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Rinehart will be suing Nine for damages, and also hopes to successfully receive an order against Channel Nine, making the airing of the series in the future an absolute no-go.
Rinehart and her lawyers will have to prove in court that the series had malicious motivation to defame and incorrectly portray Rinehart, as well as demonstrating a tangible loss in business due to the show’s airing.
If Rinehart is successful, you can’t imagine that the damages awarded to her by Nine would resemble anything but loose change in relation to her $11 billion + wealth. But Gina Rinehart is not a woman who does things by halves. Come at the King, you best not miss.
Via SMH.
Lead image by Tony Ashby via Getty.
