A claim for one of the people affected by the “Jedi Knight” scandal which rocked the Australian Defence Forces was finally resolved last month with a sensible resolution of the compensation claim. This scandal included the distribution of lewd photographs of young women within a membership group.
The circumstances were highlighted in a series of television reports and were instrumental in leading to the Head of Defence Force, David Hurley, making strong public pronouncements in late 2013 and expressing his intent to rid the ADF of personnel who were determined to pursue misogynistic discriminatory practices which caused hurt and embarrassment to so many young woman struggling to make a career in the ADF.
In Australia, the Privacy Act does not provide any real relief against breaches of privacy entitlements in circumstances such as these, but we were able through a process of negotiation and mediation to achieve a fair result for our client. The result will hopefully allow her to get on with a life without the constant reflection on the hurt and shame caused by these unthinking, unrepresentative defence personnel.  The chapter can now be closed.
Contact our dispute resolution for assistance with any defamation.