Where a defamation plaintiff's economic loss claim depends on continued earning capacity in a profession, supervening events such as criminal charges and restrictions on practising certificates may break the chain of causation, even where the defamatory publication was a cause of the initial loss. Pre-judgment interest on past economic loss that accrues progressively should be calculated on the conventional 'rough and ready' basis (half the applicable rate over the whole period), not from the date the whole loss was complete. The court left open whether public policy would preclude recovery of economic loss by a professional subsequently found unfit to practise due to pre-existing misconduct.
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