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Summarised by Centrist
Stuff has reported new details from an affidavit by businessman and NZME director Jim Grenon about his role in funding Julian Batchelor’s unsuccessful defamation case against TVNZ and researcher Sanjana Hattotuwa.
Batchelor sued over a 2023 TVNZ item about the Electoral Commission investigating an anti-co-governance pamphlet.
The case centred on comments by Hattotuwa, who described Batchelor’s material as “racist rhetoric” and said it “instigated harm offline”.
Batchelor claimed the report caused personal and professional damage. The claim was dismissed, with Judge David Clark later raising questions about “who the real plaintiff was”.
Stuff reported that Grenon’s affidavit said he funded the case because of “strongly held personal values concerning democracy and freedom of expression”.
Grenon said he was not a litigation funder in a commercial sense and did not stand to receive any damages awarded to Batchelor.
He said his concern was not Batchelor’s political position, but whether TVNZ had fairly characterised him as using racist rhetoric, inciting hate and instigating violence.
Grenon also said he did not endorse all of Batchelor’s views on co-governance.
Lawyers for TVNZ and Hattotuwa argued Grenon should be liable for costs, saying he had funded and benefited from the case. Grenon denied acting in a manner that would trigger the commercial funder rules.
Judge Clark has reserved his decision on whether Grenon will have to pay non-party costs.
Editor’s note: If people can be penalised for helping fund a court case, others may think twice before assisting someone they believe has been treated unfairly or wants to stand up for their rights.
