Erin Molan, Daily Mail settle defamation case.

A long running defamation case between SKY News presenter Erin Molan and Daily Mail Australia has been settled.

At a federal court mediation yesterday, both parties mutually agreed to discontinue proceedings with each side paying their own legal costs.

The case surrounded Daily Mail articles which accused her of appearing to mock Polynesians when she said “hooka looka mooka hooka fooka” on 2GB in May 2020.

Molan has always maintained she did not intend to mock anyone and is not racist.

In 2022 the former Nine presenter was awarded $150,000 when the court found Molan was not putting on an accent but mimicking her colleague Ray Warren, who had stumbled over the names.

The publisher subsequently appealed the ruling, claiming the judge had failed to consider all the evidence originally put forward in Daily Mail Australia’s defence.

Daily Mail lawyers said in a statement, “The Federal Court defamation proceedings brought by Ms Erin Molan against Daily Mail Australia have settled after mediation. In those proceedings, Daily Mail Australia alleged that Ms Molan had engaged in racist behaviour, with Ms Molan having denied that she had engaged in any such conduct. Both parties are happy with the resolution of the proceedings, which involved each party paying their own costs, but did not involve Daily Mail Australia paying any damages to Ms Molan.”

The settlement means a retrial will no longer take place.

Source: Guardian Australia