Broker, funds manager, execs and media named in defamation claims

A high-profile broker, boutique fund manager, lithium executives and media outlets have been dragged into a defamation action brought by a pair of prominent Perth resources directors.

Represented by defamation specialist firm Bennett, a writ was lodged in the Supreme Court of Western Australia on behalf of plaintiffs Neil Warburton and Stephen Miller earlier this week.

Mr Warburton and Mr Miller are non-executive chairman and managing director, respectively, of unlisted explorer Abyssinian Gold, which is seeking to develop a mine in Ethiopia.

Named as first defendant in the writ is Argonaut executive chairman Eddie Rigg, who Mr Warburton and Mr Miller allege published defamatory statements about them in an email addressed to ‘Fellow Abyssinian Shareholder’ in June.

Mr Rigg told Business News the writ was an attempt to stifle a section 249d process to have the incumbent board removed.

Russell Delroy, the founder of Cottesloe-based investment fund nero, Brian Talbot, who previously headed up Galaxy Resources Australia and First Quantum Minerals co-founder and former Allkem chairman Martin Rowley have also been looped into the allegations of defamation made in the statement of claim.  

Mr Delroy told Business News he wanted to see the best outcome for shareholders, but declined to comment further. 

ASX-listed industry publisher Aspermont is also named in writ for publishing allegedly defamatory comments in an article titled 'Argonaut leads the charge for change at lithium explorer' on July 12.

Comments allegedly made by two of the defendants on a Money of Mine podcast named '$100m cash but Administrators Appointed at X64? and Perthonality Board Tilt at Abyssinian' published on YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn have also been claimed as defamatory by the Abyssinian Gold directors.

Both the article and interview have seemingly been removed.

According to the writ, Mr Warburton and Mr Miller are claiming damages and aggravated damages, and are also seeking an injunction preventing further publishing of the allegedly defamatory matters.

The pair are also seeking costs.