September 11, 2014
Tamihere to appeal mediation order
Broadcaster John Tamihere intends to appeal being forced into arbitration over his defamation claim against MediaWorks.
High Court Justice Simon France has arguments from the Radio Live owner that Mr Tamihere's contract specified disputes go first to arbitration rather than court.
But the former Labour lawmaker says defamation is a tort rather than a contract, and he wants the case heard in open court.
Mr Tamihere’s contract was not renewed after he was stood down last November after an interview with a woman who identified herself as a friend of a victim of the Roast Busters, a group of west Auckland teenagers who bragged online about their sexual exploits.
The interview sparked a backlash against him and co-host Willie Jackson, although an internal complaints review later found they acted professionally and the complaints were coming not from people who heard about the interview on social media rather than hearing it live.
Mr Tamihere says the way he was let go while Mr Jackson was kept on with a new co-host created the impression he had been found to have done something wrong.
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