Murray Hunter ordered to pay RM50,000 in damages to MRCB over articles

The Shah Alam High Court has ruled that blogger Murray Hunter must pay Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) RM50,000 in damages for conspiring with an activist to publish a series of articles against the company. These articles were focused on the demolition and redevelopment of the Shah Alam Stadium. On August 18, judicial commissioner Shoba Rajah Dorai Rajah made this decision, also ordering MRCB RM10,000 in costs and granting an injunction against Hunter. Hunter had not made an appearance in MRCB's lawsuit.

In June, MRCB obtained a consent judgment against the activist, Abdul Razak Ismail, after they reached a settlement. Razak was required to enforce a permanent injunction preventing him from publishing or republishing the allegations related to the suit.

Judicial commissioner Shoba determined that MRCB had met the four elements necessary for the tort of conspiracy and proved its case against Hunter using a balance of probabilities. The court found that both parties had published and republished each other's articles. Moreover, it was established that Hunter had not verified the information before publishing it, and subsequently, did not correct the articles.

The court accepted evidence presented by two MRCB senior officers, which was not contested by Hunter in his absence. Additionally, the court concluded that MRCB had incurred damages as a result of Hunter's actions. MRCB was represented by lawyer Selva Mookiah.