A man who said “your scumbag client won’t get one cent” has been ordered to pay $300,000 in aggravated damages and costs after accusing a family dispute resolution practitioner of supporting paedophiles.
Adam Whittington, a “child recovery agent” who was involved in the 60 Minutes abduction scandal in Lebanon, has been ordered by the New South Wales supreme court to pay Jasmin Newman $160,000 in damages and $147,796 in costs after it found he defamed her in a series of online posts dating back to 2019.
Whittington posted on WordPress, Facebook and Twitter about Newman, who is accredited to practise as a family dispute practitioner with the federal attorney general’s department.
Newman argued that the posts contained 59 defamatory imputations, including that she sympathised and supported paedophiles, attacked women who wanted to protect their sexually abused children, and committed fraud.
Judge Nicholas Chen found on Wednesday that the imputations were conveyed, and that Whittington continued to defame Newman while the court case was ongoing.
Whittington did not attend court during the proceeding, Chen said.
He said Whittington was an Australian citizen who, “at least at some point in the past, resided overseas, either in Sweden or in Russia, although precisely where he now resides is unknown”.
Chen said Whittington was the founder and chief executive officer of a Swedish company which operates a Facebook page called “Child Abduction Recovery International”; and the founder “of what is said to be a ‘charity’” known as Project Rescue Children.
Whittington responded to emails about the case, Chen said, including by replying to a lawyer for Newman on 12 December 2024.
“Stop wasting my time opening rubbish and tagging me into your nonsense emails,” Whittington said.
“In fact, to make sure you don’t waste another minute of my time, I’ll block you from this day on.
“Your scumbag client won’t get one cent. That I promise.”
Chen said there was some uncertainty about Whittington’s ability to pay the penalties.
He said that while the audience for the posts was limited, they had a serious impact on Newman.
“The impact of the defamatory matters upon the plaintiff has, I accept, been exacerbated not only by the defendant’s failure to apologise, but by his continuing publication of defamatory matters … after the plaintiff commenced these proceedings,” Chen said.
“Notwithstanding the hearing has proceeded without any participation by the defendant, no attempt was made to overstate the impact of these defamatory imputations; rather, my impression was that she tended to understate them.
“I have no doubt that they have caused her anguish, anxiety, hurt and distress.”
Chen granted a permanent and mandatory injunction restraining Whittington from repeating the defamation.
