Nine defends 60 Minutes defamation case

A 2014 60 Minutes story “Forced Marriage” has been at the centre of a defamation case in the NSW Supreme Court this week.

Reporter Liz Hayes attended the court to hear proceedings surrounding the story she presented with Nadia Tabbaa, now 29, who went by the pseudonym Rania Farrah in her interview.

Nadia told Nine she was kidnapped when she was 13 and holidaying in Egypt. She said she was taken to relatives in Jordan, beaten by her father, forced to undergo a medical examination to check her virginity and then made to marry a cousin in his 30s. She told 60 Minutes she did not escape until 5 years later on her 18th birthday.

But her mother June Tabba said the claims in 60 Minutes were not true. The 65-year-old, brother Omar and her former husband, Mouhammad Tabbaa, are suing the Nine Network for defamation.

Mrs Tabbaa said she had arranged for her daughter to live with her paternal grandmother in 2002 because she was at a loss how else to deal with her, after she had run away from home several times and was hanging around with older men known to police.

“Nadia’s behaviour was completely out of control,” Mrs Tabbaa told the court.

“At first I didn’t know what to do. But I had a couple of gentlemen coming to the door looking for her.”

She told a jury she was spat on, shunned and threatened after the 60 Minutes story.

“Afterwards I started to get harassing phone calls,” she said.

“I’ve had my letterbox kicked in, I’ve had my garbage bins burn down, I even had a phone call telling me not to go to sleep that night because my house was going to be burnt down.”

Nine is defending the action on the basis of truth and fair comment.

Nine’s legal team outlined what they say happened to Nadia in Syria in a detailed timeline in defence documents. They also state that after Nadia returned to Australia she obtained an Apprehended Violence Order against Mr Tabbaa.

The hearing continues.

Source: Fairfax, Yahoo, Courier Mail.