Nine’s barrister,Dr Matt CollinsCredit:AAP
“What the evidence established was discreditable conduct by him before surgery,during surgery,after surgery,” said Collins in closing submissions on Monday.
Al Muderis is suingThe Age,The Sydney Morning Herald and60 Minutes over reports published and broadcast in September 2022.
He alleges the reports convey a range of defamatory meanings,including that he negligently performed osseointegration surgery and provided inadequate aftercare. Osseointegration surgery involves inserting titanium pins into the residual bone of an amputated limb to enable a prosthetic to be connected.
Nine,owner of the media outlets being sued,is seeking to rely on truth,honest opinion and public interest in its defence. Collins said the 75 imputations could be boiled down to 10 meanings relating to Al Muderis’ conduct before,during and after surgery.
“Dr Al Muderis,in our submission,is a very unsatisfactory witness,” Collins said.
Collins described Al Muderis as a “very complex personality”,who had enormous talent and had gone to developing countries and war zones on humanitarian missions.
“But there is another side to him,” Collins told the Federal Court in Sydney. “If there’s one thing that seems to characterise his personality,it’s an … inability to admit error.