In Victoria, a defendant in a defamation action who wishes to justify alternative meanings must plead those meanings in the defence, but is limited to meanings that are not more serious than and not substantially different from those pleaded by the plaintiff. The broader Polly Peck practice of justifying at a higher level of generality by reference to a 'common sting' is not available without this limitation. Particulars of justification must be related to the specific imputations pleaded on each side.
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