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Extreme mullet teen sues media for 'defamatory' viral photo

A Sydney teenager whose extraordinary mullet catapulted him to online fame has suffered a setback in his defamation case against a number of media outlets.

A photo of Ziggy Mosslmani was taken by a professional photographer at an 18th birthday party and shared on social media.

The picture, taken by photographer Jeremy Nool, which sparked the defamation case. Picture: Jnoodles
The picture, taken by photographer Jeremy Nool, which sparked the defamation case. Picture: Jnoodles

Little did snapper Jeremy Nool realise, the photo of Mr Mosslmani's extreme haircut would be shared two million times last year, and inspire a string of memes and news articles.

A preliminary hearing on Tuesday heard of Mr Mosslmani attempts to sue Daily Mail Australia, News Corp and KIIS radio for making him appear ridiculous.

Among his complaints were headlines and several photoshopped versions of the photo.

However, NSW District Court judge Judith Gibson struck out several meanings pleaded by the teen's legal team, including that he had been compared to Frankenstein, and that readers would believe he'd allowed himself to be photographed and exposed himself to ridicule.

The teenager claimed the photograph made him appear ridiculous, ugly and a joke, the ABC reported.

"The plaintiff's striking mullet haircut has generated a great deal of interest on the internet, most of it humorous, and some of it in the form of clever observations, such as the Pythagoras direction in one of the memes," Judge Gibson said.

Some of the memes featuring the amazing hairdo, which went viral.
Some of the memes featuring the amazing hairdo, which went viral.

She asked him to file an amended statement of claim and pay the legal costs of the media's defence for the pleas under dispute.

"The drafting seems to be designed to claim as many imputations as possible while simultaneously avoiding a defence of honest opinion or justification," she said.

The photographer said he didn't realise the impact his picture would have when he uploaded it, "but it blew up and went viral".

"It was one of the photos where everyone's dancing. I thought this is a good angle and the lighting was good," he said.

The parties will return to court on November 17 for a second hearing.

News break – October 27