Jordan Williams' defamation case against the former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig will be heading back to court, but it won't be a full retrial.
Jordan Williams, left and Colin Craig Photo: Supplied
In a judgment issued today, the Court of Appeal has reinstated a High Court jury's verdict that Mr Craig defamed Mr Williams at a news conference and in a leaflet distributed to 1.6 million households around the country in July 2015.
But there will be a retrial on the amount the jury awarded Mr Williams in damages.
Following the original trial in September 2016, the jury awarded almost $1.3 million dollars to Mr Williams - the highest ever amount in a New Zealand defamation case.
But a subsequent review of the case by a High Court judge found the amount was excessive and constituted a miscarriage of justice.
Because of that, the jury's verdict was set aside and the case was to go to a retrial, but Mr Williams appealed the decision.
The Court of Appeal agreed that the amount awarded in damages was excessive and must be set aside.
It said the issue of damages could be dealt with at a retrial, without needing to go through the whole case again.
The Court of Appeal has ruled Mr Craig must pay half of the costs.
In a statement, Mr Williams said he was "very relieved" there would not be a full retrial.
"It means Mr Craig has failed in his efforts to re-litigate, yet again, this whole matter," he said.
"The judgment is totally clear that I was defamed by Mr Craig, and that the jury's findings, now confirmed, have vindicated me."
Mr Craig said he was still to have a closer look at the judgment, but there were positives out of it.
"Most importantly the Court of Appeal has agreed with the ruling of the judge that the damages were absolutely excessive, which is obviously an important point and one that I'm happy [the court] concluded."
