Gina Rinehart Takes Potentially Defamatory ‘House of Hancock’ To Court Ahead Of Its Sunday Broadcast
Gina Rinehart has been allowed to watch the second part of “The House of Hancock” before it airs on Sunday. A judge has ruled that the richest person in Australia may see the TV film prior to its airdate on Nine Network after her lawyers sought for its application.
Barrister Tom Blackburn, representing Rinehart, asked the NSW Supreme Court on Friday for an application allowing them to view the program. They want to see if they should seek an urgent injunction to prevent the concluding second part of the show from airing if it proves to contain false and damaging information about their client.
The telemovie tells the story of the Hancock dynasty, focusing on the perfect business team that was the father-and-daughter duo of Lang and Rinehart before Filipino housekeeper Rose Lacson entered the scene. In the TV film, Rinehart’s relationship with his father faltered when he disapproved of her marriage to an older man and when Lang married the much younger Rose. It aired its first part on Feb. 8, with the concluding episode airing on Sunday.
But the first part was ridden with lies that painted the family in a bad light, according to Rinehart’s lawyers. Blackburn presented Justice Peter Garling the transcripts of the program “A Current Affair” in which one of the film’s producers apparently implied that they a large part of the TV film was fabricated.
The team also submitted quotes from entertainment reporter Peter Ford, who reviewed “The House of Hancock” and described it as a “big explosive Dallas-type drama,” referring to the U.S. soap opera “Dallas.” Ford said the second part of the show contains “an even more explosive conclusion” and that everyone except for Rinehart must watch it.
“They make her look like an obsessed, vindictive shrew,” Ford said of Rinehart. “I felt very sorry for her. I actually – I don’t know the woman at all, I’ve never met her – but I can’t believe that somebody could truly be that sour about life, but that’s the picture they have painted of her.”
Based on the producer’s interview and Ford’s assessment, Rinehart’s lawyers argued to the judge that the TV film is most likely malicious and defamatory to the mining magnate. Blackburn also told Justice Garling that the actors in the film could be in breach of the trade practices if they engaged in misleading or deceptive roles.
The judge called the barrister’s argument about the actors “novel,” saying if that argument was applied, it “could shut down all of Shakespeare’s plays.” However, he ordered the Nine Network to give Rinehart a DVD of the episode so she can watch it prior to the airdate. As The Australian reports, only Rinehart, her senior and junior counsel and a number of solicitors may view the episode.
Rinehart’s legal team plans to apply for a prepublication injunction that will prevent the second episode of the telemovie from being broadcast. With the judge granting them access to a DVD of the episode for them to watch and review, they could make a case for the injunction.
“The House of Hancock” attracted a strong viewership on Sunday, with 1.383 million viewers have turned in. It stars Many McElhinney as Rinehart, Peta Sergeant as Rose, and Sam Neill as Lang.
