The broadcaster spoke to a woman who claimed the then Liberal National Party MP took an “inappropriate” photo of her bottom on his mobile phone while she bent down to fill a fridge with drinks at a Brisbane business.
Queensland Police conducted an investigation into the allegations about the photograph,and determined theevidence did not support the conclusion that any criminal offence had been committed by Laming.
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Laming maintained the photo was “completely dignified” and showed the woman in a kneeling position. It was a “humorous situation” where she was attempting to get “every possible can” of drink into a fridge “like a game of Tetris”,he said last year.
Laming argued the Nine News report defamed him in several ways,including by suggesting he took a lewd photo of the woman without her knowledge or consent,that he was “lecherous” in taking an indecent photo,and that he was “a pervert” who took a photo “for his own sexual gratification”.
The Federal Court heard on Wednesday that the parties had settled the proceedings before a trial was slated to start on October 10.
Nine said in an apology read in court:“On March 27,2021,Nine News Queensland broadcast a report about Dr Laming,who was at the time a member of federal parliament.