Hewson settles up with ACA and Nine

FORMER Liberal leader John Hewson has settled his defamation case against Nine and A Current Affair after claiming they portrayed him as a dishonest executive who “dudded” storm victims.

Dr Hewson, now the chair of GSA Insurance Brokers, sued the network, presenter Tracy Grimshaw and a journalist after they ran a segment about a couple that was struggling to get an insurance payout in mid-2020.

The lawyer for the former political heavyweight on Monday told the Federal Court the lawsuit had “settled on confidential terms” out of court.

Justice Michael Wigney said Dr Hewson and Nine would now go “on their merry way” after almost a year of hearings, accusations and defences.

Dr Hewson had claimed A Current Affair’s segment portrayed him as “dishonestly” refusing to pay out Storage King North Parramatta customers Nicole and Adrian Dolahenty after their storage unit was inundated with water in a sudden torrential storm.

The court heard GSA asked a handling company to look at the Dolahenty’s claim and they concluded a nearby waterway had overflowed and so, because it was flood damage not storm damage, the Dolahentys were not covered.

“John Hewson — show leadership and get your company GSA Insurance to pay us and everyone who’s been dudded by your company,” Mr Dolahenty said in the segment, according to a transcript filed with the court.

“When it comes to paying out policy holders they would rather cut and run.”

GSA had emailed A Current Affair explaining they were the insurance broker — not the insurer — and had no role in making the decision on the flooding, Dr Hewson claimed.