A number of high-profile Australian defamation cases are due to be heard over the next few weeks.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young will have her suit against Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm in the courts, as will actor Geoffrey Rush and his case against The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
But defamation trials are increasingly involving everyday Australians.
What is defamation, and, in this social-media age, what must a person do to be sure to avoid getting caught up in a lawsuit?
