Cameron Slater's legal bid to be opposed by the media

WhaleOil blogger Cameron Slater. Photo / Doug Sherring

Cameron Slater's legal bid to have his leaked, private communications returned will be opposed by the media.

The lawyer for media organisations APN, TV3 and Fairfax, Adrian Miles, QC, also made an application pursuing the WhaleOil blogger for costs in the High Court at Auckland this morning.

An injunction hearing was adjourned last week after both sides reached an agreement not to publish personal information about Slater but he launched further action to try and retrieve all leaked information from reporters who had it.

Justice John Fogarty made temporary orders gagging the hacker known as Rawshark from releasing further material when the case first came before the court but he allowed the media to report any of the previously-leaked communications and anything the hacker had provided before the hearing - orders which still stand.

Last week the court heard how the media respondents agreed not to publish information about Slater which had no genuine public interest.

"Personal private information comprises information about the plaintiff's wife and children, his medical records, the death of his mother; and information of a similar nature," the judge said.

Rawshark leaked email and Facebook exchanges between Slater and several others through the Twitter account Whaledump after the publication of Nicky Hager's book Dirty Politics.

The hacker has said the account would be closed and no more information would be forthcoming.

Slater's statement of claim said he had "tens of thousands of emails spanning a period of more than ten years", including exchanges with accountants, doctors, lawyers, psychiatrists and personal communication with his wife.

The matter will be back before the court on September 29 when a date for a further hearing will be set.