Judge dismisses paper's legal bid over TV host

Brooke Howard-Smith. Photo / Getty Images

A judge has rejected a tabloid newspaper's application to have television host Brooke Howard-Smith further identify what parts of the articles he is suing them over are defamatory and untrue.

The presenter is suing the Truth Weekender for two stories published earlier this year about a bashing at the Pony Club in downtown Auckland. Also part of the defamation suit are the reporter who wrote the articles, the paper's editor and its printer.

Howard-Smith fronts TV3's consumer affairs programme Target but promotes the Pony Club, for which he is paid $25,000 a year.

He has appeared in a number of major TV3 events, including Christmas in the Park and Telethon.

At the High Court at Auckland yesterday, Truth lawyer Peter McKnight applied for more particulars of the alleged defamation.

But Associate Judge Roger Bell said enough particulars of the passages in the articles complained of had been given and it would be "unnecessarily pedantic" to have Howard-Smith "join the dots" between the alleged offending words and what he says were their intended meanings.

The judge said Howard-Smith had identified what parts of the articles he said were untrue.

Judge Bell rejected the application and awarded costs of $3080 against the newspaper.

A statement of defence has to be filed by July 26 and a case management conference will be held in mid-September.