High Court Rules Against Government Communications Director
On 27 November 2023, Solomon Motors Limited and its CEO Craig Day initiated legal proceedings by filing a defamation claim in the High Court of Solomon Islands (Civil Case No. 585 of 2023). This action was taken in response to commentary posted on Facebook on 22 November, 2023, by George Herming, a journalist and the incumbent Director of the Government Communications Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office. Herming’s comments falsely suggested that the Claimants were experiencing financial difficulties, specifically insinuating that they were unable to meet their financial obligations to workers and were facing legal action in the Trade Disputes Panel for unpaid workers’ bills.
On 10 April 2024, the High Court of Solomon Islands considered two applications related to the ongoing legal proceedings. The first application, submitted by the Claimants, sought a default judgment. The second application, filed by the Defendant, George Herming, requested permission to file a defence beyond the designated time frame.
Today, 16 April 2024, the High Court issued its judgment regarding these applications. The Court denied Herming, permission to file a defence out of time, citing that the draft defence provided by the Defendant lacked substantive merit. Additionally, the Court granted the Claimants’ application for default judgment, aligning with the orders outlined in the initial claim.
The proceedings are scheduled to reconvene for mention on 20 May 2024, at 1:30 p.m., during which a date will be set for a hearing to determine the extent of damages to be awarded to the Claimants.
This is one of the first defamation cases to be brought to court involving a social media post.
