Geoffrey Rush has been awarded nearly $2.9 million as part of a defamation payout after winning his case against Nationwide News.

He sued the Daily Telegraph’s publisher after stories alleged he behaved inappropriately towards his colleague.

The award-winning actor was granted $850,000 by the courts in general and aggravated damages but lost earnings took that amount to $2.87 million in damages.

Macedone Legal’s Sam Macedone tells Ross Greenwood this payout sets a precedent.

“The damage to his reputation was extraordinary.

“If you’re going to defame someone with that sort of reputation I think that nowadays you can well expect, with these precedents, that you’ll be paying millions of dollars, not hundreds of thousands.”

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