Defamation—Procedure

It was settled law that parties to litigation should generally be free to prepare for it by taking such steps without the interference of an injunction, or that statements and publications in the course of defending proceedings were likely to be protected by absolute privilege, and that part of the purpose of that defence was to afford protection to those involved in litigation from even the risk of proceedings for defamation in matters directly relating to their conduct of that litigation. An interim injunction would not generally be granted in proceedings for defamation where a defendant intended to rely on a substantive defence.