Developer Jean Nassif suing 2GB radio star Ray Hadley over alleged defamatory broadcasts

Sydney property developer Jean Nassif and radio king Ray Hadley will face a hearing in October as their lengthy defamation case crawls through the courts.

Mr Nassif, who shot to fame in a viral video surprising his wife with a yellow Lamborghini, launched civil action against 2GB and Mr Hadley in July 2020 over a series of broadcasts he claims defamed him.

In claims filed to the Federal Court, the developer alleges the broadcaster painted him as “disgracefully incompetent and dishonest” to the point “a buyer should have serious concern about purchasing a property from [him]”.

In a statement released when the action was launched, Mr Nassif claimed he took Mr Hadley to court over a “campaign of unfair and inaccurate commentary … over the course of the last year about Toplace’s business practices”.

“Mr Nassif and the Toplace Group have taken this action to protect the excellent reputation in the construction industry that they have built over many decades,” the statement read.

During a case management hearing on Thursday before Justice Jayne Jagot, she told the court the matter was still “very much in its early stages”, despite it going into its third year.

Tom Blackburn SC acting for Mr Nassif and his companies, told the court mediation had taken place between the parties, but it was “unsuccessful”.

The court was earlier told Mr Nassif and Mr Hadley had engaged private negotiations without their lawyers in a bid to save costs, but they did not come to an agreement.

Mr Nassif claims the radio personality and his employer Harbour Radio defamed him in eight broadcasts spanning a year to June 2020.

Four of Mr Nassif‘s companies are also suing for defamation as part of the claim.

In court documents, Mr Nassif’s lawyers alleged the broadcasts conveyed multiple false and defamatory claims.

Mr Nassif claims the broadcaster wrongly suggested Mr Nassif “dishonestly tried to force off-the-plan buyers of his high-rise apartments to pay hundreds of thousands dollars to complete their purchases, knowing that the apartments were dangerously unfit for occupancy by reason of totally inadequate emergency exits, fire hydrants that were not properly connected, and fire exits blocked by scaffolding”.

Mr Nassif claims Hadley and Harbour Radio “failed to verify the accuracy” of the allegations and did not contact the developer and his companies before broadcasting the claims.

The Toplace owner is seeking damages and legal costs, as well as an order restraining Mr Hadley from repeating the allegations and the removal of the broadcasts from the 2GB website and social media.

Justice Jagot adjourned the matter for a directions hearing on October 20.