Mr Pesutto repeatedly insisted he was being truthful during his first two hours of cross examination on Tuesday, in relation to both a dossier of evidence his office prepared to expel Mrs Deeming, and a secret recording of a meeting with the exiled MP which was taped by deputy David Southwick.
He said he was only made aware of the recording — which has become central to the case — sometime at the end of 2023 or early 2024 and rejected any suggestion he knew earlier.
The court heard he only told his lawyers about the recording a week before the defamation trial began after learning that Mrs Deeming also had a secret recording of another meeting.
The secret recording captured a March 2023 meeting between Mr Pesutto and his leadership team, his former chief of staff Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez, and Mrs Deeming the day after she attended a Let Women Speak rally that prompted moves to expel her from the party.
Mr Pesutto said he completely rejected the suggestion he had kept the recording secret because it directly contradicted a version of events he had told both the media and his party room about the meeting.
Ms Chrysanthou also slammed a dossier of evidence used to back his case to expel Mrs Deeming as “no better than a project prepared by an eight year old”.
That fact that publications were made that defamed Mrs Deeming has already been conceded by Mr Pesutto’s legal team.
But they are relying on a public interest defence to the comments which focuses on the honest and reasonable belief in the truth of a publication.
Source: Deeming v Pesutto: Opposition Leader’s honesty questioned in tense grilling | Herald Sun