Steve
Vizard would be a fool to sue former accountant Roy Hilliard for
defamation over the claims of tax evasion and fraud made on last
night’s 7.30 Report, according to one of Australia’s leading defamation lawyers.

After Hilliard last night repeated accusations, outside of court, of tax fraud against his former boss on the 7.30 Report,
Crikey ask some of Australia’s leading defamation lawyers whether
Vizard actually has a reputation left to defame, and whether he could
defend it. But it’s become clear that as far as Vizard has fallen, he
can always fall further.

“We can’t say that his reputation is
bankrupt, however it’s not that far from it,” a leading Australian
defamation lawyer told Crikey, who also said that while Vizard would
still have a case to sue for defamation “he’d be a fool” to do it. “All
Hilliard would have to do is to plead truth and all his (Vizard’s)
financial affairs would become court documents and then public
documents.” And that’s probably the last thing Vizard wants.

In
regards to Vizard’s financial actions and transactions, lawyers admit
his reputation is scraping the bottom of the barrel, but accusations
like tax evasion and fraud could drag it even lower. In a legal sense
it seems that no-one – including Vizard – can have a completely
bankrupt reputation. Maybe he can take some consolation in that.