Greater Geraldton councillor Aaron Horsman asks former mayor Shane Van Styn to pay $50k for alleged defamation

A City of Greater Geraldton councillor who alleges he was defamed by former mayor Shane Van Styn says he will take legal action unless he is paid $50,000 damages. In a notice of concerns letter dated August 22, 2024, Mr Horsman claims his rival shared personal invoices — charging the City of Greater Geraldton $1000 each day until the word defamatory was removed from a council document — “in a vindictive and damaging manner to influence the outcome of the election”. Cr Horsman eventually dropped the legal pursuit against the council and has focused on Mr Van Styn personally. He requests reparations of $50,000, a retraction of statements on social media and an apology on his social media pages and in the Geraldton Guardian. Mr Van Styn said he was concerned Mr Horsman’s legal demands would cost ratepayers if the city was required to again seek legal advice. “Sovereign citizens like Aaron Horsman don’t bother me,” he said. “I just hope that the City of Greater Geraldton don’t incur further legal costs as a result of this.”