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Former senator David Leyonhjelm will have to pay Sarah Hanson-Young $120,000 in damages after the full Federal Court on Wednesday slammed defamatory comments he made about her in 2018 as âobviously sexistâ, âpuerileâ, âpungentâ and âboysâ-own locker-room gossipâ .
The Greens senator praised the decision, which dismissed an appeal by Mr Leyonhjelm of an earlier defamation finding, as âa timely and crucial message that women deserve to be safe and respectedâ and that politicians âare not above the lawâ.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, centre, and her barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, left, outside court.Â
Joel Carrett
The comments arose in media interviews made after Mr Leyonhjelmâs âstop shagging menâ attack on Ms Hanson-Young in the Senate, and included claims that she was a âmisandristâ who thought âall men are rapistsâ.
Last modified on Tue 2 Mar 2021 20.35 EST
On Wednesday Justice Steven Rares announced he would have allowed the appeal against the finding he defamed the Greens senator, but was overruled by justices Michael Wigney and Wendy Abraham, who dismissed Leyonhjelm’s case with costs.
Hanson-Young welcomed the decision, which she said was “important for all women” for sending “a timely and critical message that women deserve to be safe and respected in our workplaces, in our schools and in our communities”.
“It shows that speaking up and calling out abuse and harassment is important for holding perpetrators to account,” she said in a statement.