Geoffrey Rush to pursue legal action against Daily Tele

Actor Geoffrey Rush is suing The Daily Telegraph following its publication of he described as “slurs” and “hyperbole”.

“The Daily Telegraph has made false, pejorative and demeaning claims, splattering them with unrelenting bombasity on its front pages,” he said at a press conference today.

“This has created irreparable damage to my reputation [and] been extremely hurtful to my wife, my daughter and my son. The situation is intolerable and I must now seek vindication of my good name through the courts.”

As headlines and gossip swirled, Rush stood down as President of the AACTA / AFI, further prompted by a letter to the AACTAs board by Foxtel and Seven.

On Monday Media Watch revealed while the Daily Telegraph had led with a “King Leer” front page, Chris Tinkler, Deputy Editor of the Herald Sun, advised all staff, “Do not retweet or post any articles regarding GEOFFREY RUSH.… please under no circumstances retweet/share/like/repost any stories about Geoffrey Rush on social media etc until further notice. The Tele are running with a yarn which is highly libellous.”

Rush’s lawyer, Nicholas Pullen from HWL Ebsworth, confirmed the proceedings were only against The Daily Telegraph and that his client was seeking damages.

Source: Fairfax