Actor Geoffrey Rush files for defamation
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325759)
Rockingham, Australia
December 8, 2017 9:29pm CST
Yesterday celebrated Australian actor Geoffrey Rush filed defamation proceedings against The Daily Telegraph. This follows an article claiming inappropriate behaviour during a production of King Lear in 2015. The allegations were published on November 30.
For the moment, Rush has stepped aside from his role as president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). So far details of the allegation have not been made public. In one article Rush said even he did not know the details of the complaint which seems pretty unfair to me.
If he is innocent I am glad he is taking the newspaper to trial. Careers and lives can be wrecked by such allegations and equally so if they are true or not.
Rush won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Shine in 1997 and has starred in a number of excellent movies. In 2012 he was named Australian of the Year for his philanthropy and his participation in the Australian film industry.
You can read more about it here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-08/geoffrey-rush-files-defamation-suit-against-daily-telegraph/9241224
22 people like this
23 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
9 Dec 17
A defamation trial is a double-edged sword. I remember an interesting one : a mayor had launched a defamation trial against the president of a small association who had written that he had done misappropriation of public money. During the trial the guy showed a bill paid by the city proving that he had offered flowers to his wife with public money. The court said that there was no defamation, the public attorney started to investigate and two years later the mayor was sentenced to jail for various misuse of public money. He fled to Argentina
. Nothing would have happened if he had not started a defamation trial against a completely unknown guy.
. Nothing would have happened if he had not started a defamation trial against a completely unknown guy.6 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
9 Dec 17
@LadyDuck I felt some exasperation last month when reading a few #metoo #balancetonporc posts accusing celebs and giving names. Half of these posts were reporting something that I would call boorishness/rude proposals that cannot be sued. For the other half, it is not the way to follow : if these women have really been abused they have to lodge complaints, period. Some of the men named have started defamation trials. I think that these trials will give more visibility to the accuser, whatever the result, than the tweet. I would always advise against defamation trials.
3 people like this
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
9 Dec 17
Journalists can sometimes be just exaggerating things because they want people to read their newspapers or magazines. Sometimes it's hard to believe who is telling the truth.
5 people like this
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
10 Dec 17
@JudyEv Right and that's really defamatory.
2 people like this
@jobelbojel (34729)
• Philippines
10 Dec 17
@JudyEv Crossing my fingers. So these news will learn.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
9 Dec 17
I don't know what to think in this case. There's been no real details. Hopefully he is innocent as he is practically your greatest actor.
4 people like this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
11 Dec 17
We will now have to wait and see what is the truth.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
11 Dec 17
@JudyEv Is The Daily Telegraph a reputable paper?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Dec 17
@1hopefulman I'm really not sure. I think it might be more a tabloid type of paper.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
10 Dec 17
I'll assume he's innocent for now. See what the court says.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Dec 17
I agree. There must be many living with the worry of being accused of some sort of crime of this nature. It is so easy for someone with a bit of a grudge - or who wants a bit of publicity - to come out and accuse someone of these sorts of things. I hope he is innocent and that the newspapers learn a lesson from his action.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (34365)
•
10 Dec 17
This inappropriate behavior thing has really gotten out of hand. It is like a witch trial! It is amazing how many have come out of the woodwork to gain their 15 minutes in the spotlight. It detracts from the ones who have been seriously assaulted and have a real claim to abuse. On another topic, Rush is a great actor whose list of movie credits is outstanding; The King's Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Book Thief to name a few. If there is no proof to this claim, it is a shame his reputation is being damaged.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Dec 17
I agree totally. And some of these events took place so long ago when such behaviour was commonplace but virtually ignored/condoned whatever. He is certainly an outstanding actor. I saw The Book Thief and The King's Speech. And Shine was perhaps his first big one.
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
9 Dec 17
It's scary how many allegations are cropping. He is a good actor, and I hope he is innocent.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Dec 17
@misunderstood_zombie Some of these accusations took place many, many years ago. I'm not sure that there shouldn't be a limit placed on such accusations meaning that anything occurring before 19xx .can't be reported. The culture was different back then which doesn't make it right but dozens of men would have made inappropriate remarks in those times.
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
10 Dec 17
@JudyEv I agree, but I've been so shocked at the amount of men in trouble. Thank God, it's all coming out into the open, and now men might treat women with more respect. I thought this kind of thing ended years ago. Beautiful picture.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169967)
• United States
11 Dec 17
I think he was in Shakespeare in Love too, perhaps.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Dec 17
He has been in some wonderful movies - the Book Thief was one.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
11 Dec 17
He was in the Pirates of the Carribbean movies, right? I love those movies. I'll be interested to see how this turns out. I'd like to see that there are still some men in Hollywood that aren't corrupted.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Dec 17
I'm hoping he's innocent too and that a defamation case might cause the newspapers to back off a bit.
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
11 Dec 17
I hope that he is innocent as well, but women who have been subjected to such treatment deserve to be heard. Three who accused Trump were on NBC this morning, I was glad to hear.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325759)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Dec 17
Certainly they should pay for their crimes but people can be malicious sometimes and out to cause damage.
