18 Feb 2016

Slater fined for contempt of court

6:26 pm on 18 February 2016

A court has ordered the blogger Cameron Slater to pay a $1500 fine for contempt of court.

Cameron Slater outside the Court of Appeal

Cameron Slater Photo: RNZ / Michael Cropp

Earlier this month an Auckland High Court judge found Mr Slater had breached an undertaking not to publish information about an Auckland man, Matthew Blomfield, that was not already in the public domain.

Mr Blomfield is suing Mr Slater in a defamation case related to a 2012 blog post.

Today Justice Asher ruled Mr Slater should pay a fine, saying leaving an article that referred to Mr Blomfield online, with only minor changes, was reckless.

Justice Asher also ordered that Mr Slater pay 60 percent of Mr Blomfield's court costs, which Mr Blomfield said amounted to about $11,000.