Hong Kong Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

Hong Kong Case Law

Lucas-box meaning requirement
  • 24 Mar 2025

    李麗紅 對 吳燕芬

    Citation
    [2025] HKDC 478
    Court
    District Court
    Case number
    DCCJ1817/2019

    Five of the six passages (paragraphs 1,3,4,5 and 6) carried natural meanings that were defamatory; paragraph 2 was not defamatory. Defendant failed to plead Lucas-Box meanings and did not provide required particulars for a justification or fair comment defence, so those defences failed. However the communication was made in the context of an internal investigation to the school board and its investigative committee, which constituted a qualified privileged occasion; defendant's primary purpose aligned with that occasion and there was insufficient evidence of malice or abuse of the occasion. C…