Trevor Mallard shouldn’t be surprised to once again find himself in court facing a defamation action. He gobbed off thinking he was immune from smearing an employee in parliament. What’s worse is that he’s done it without a shred of evidence. Now it’s landed him in the lurch:
Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard is being sued following his claim last year that a rapist was working at Parliament.
A Parliamentary worker stood down last May after Mallard’s comments is alleging the Speaker defamed him.
The Parliamentary worker has hired Matthew McClelland QC who refused to comment on the defamation proceedings which are seeking $400,000 in general damages, $50,000 in punitive damages and court costs. Mallard is being represented by a Queen’s Counsel from Kensington Swan. The firm’s media lawyer Linda Clark, a former TVNZ political editor, is also involved in the case and refused to comment.
It’s understood Mallard has been given until mid-February to respond to the papers that have been served on him.
Newstalk ZB has contacted Mallard for comment.
The man’s name, where he lives and the position he held at Parliament have now been suppressed by the High Court. The same applies to the complainant.
Papers were filed on Mallard just before Christmas by the lawyers acting for the man who was described by the Speaker as a “danger”.
The row blew up after a report by Wellington consultant Debbie Francis was made public following her investigation into bullying and harassment at Parliament. She alleged 14 sexual assaults, three of them serious.
Those who complained were assured of anonymity and were told any material relating to their complaints would be destroyed.
A day after the report was released on May 21 Mallard went on radio saying “we’re talking about serious sexual assault, well that for me, that’s rape. That’s the impression I got from the report, yes.” His reading of the report, he said, was that alleged offences were all committed by one person.
Mallard said at the time he thought the man was still working at Parliament but after meeting with political leaders he announced a worker had been stood down.
“I do not want to cut across any employment or possible police allegations, but I am satisfied that the Parliamentary Service has removed a threat to the safety of women working in the Parliamentary complex,” he told journalists at Parliament.
Mallard said he’d be making no further comment because the matter was under investigation and he hasn’t commented about it since.
Newstalk
If Mallard is smart he will settle this out quick smart. Mainly for political reasons. It is an election year and the last thing Labour needs is taxpayer funds being used to pay for expensive lawyers because he gobbed off injudiciously.
You may be sure we will hear more about this. Barry Soper has been on this story since the beginning. He is like a dog with a bone and won’t let this one get away.
This, of course, isn’t the first time Mallard’s been sued for defamation: he and Andrew Little settled when Judith Collins sued them both.
The case looks pretty clear. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, there is a good chance that the duck is goosed.
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