🚨 The Cartwrights Ordered To Pay OVER $1 MILLION... What ACTUALLY Happened?!

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:02]Get you bloody legends. Now, I'm sure you've seen the thumbnail. YouTuber sued $1 million for defamation, but it is not a normal defamation case. So, all those caravan companies, settle down. Put down the phone. Don't get your lawyers on speed dial cuz you're not in for an easy payout. This is completely different.

[00:00:20]>> Yeah, settle down, Barry from accounts.

[00:00:24]>> So, in this video, we're going to go into what really happened with the cart rights. We're going to give you all those facts, all those figures. We're going to give you all the truth, all that stuff allegedly, cuz it is a court case. You're throwing that allegedly.

[00:00:35]So, if you want to see this, sit down, crack a cold one, lower those expectations, and let's get off.

[00:00:42]I don't take [ __ ] I got no love for the fake. If you want to play tough and want to hate this, I'll always show up and make >> Okay, legend. So, let's get into it. The Cartrights, massive YouTube channel. I think they're like over 200k now. couple more than you, Dylan.

[00:00:59]>> Not by much. Just just tiny little bit.

[00:01:01]>> Just a tiny bit.

[00:01:02]>> But no, big YouTube couple. And I love how they don't hold back. They say things how they are and they show their full family life.

[00:01:07]>> Just like you. Hey, >> you're going to hold back.

[00:01:10]>> Uh, did that get them in trouble? It's a bit messy in that. We will get into the full story, but let's start at the start. So, when did this all take >> 22 >> 2022 it all happened? They bought a masterass.

[00:01:23]>> Masterpiece.

[00:01:24]>> Masterpiece caravan. went traveling in it, filming content and stuff >> around Australia and we're pretty happy.

[00:01:29]But then some gremlins started to show up >> after spending nearly 200 grand on the caravan.

[00:01:35]>> 200k.

[00:01:36]Don't you wish you had 200k to spend on a caravan? Ash, >> I wouldn't be touching a caravan with that money.

[00:01:42]>> So, we'll get into what happened. Okay, legend. So, let's dive into this now.

[00:01:46]Get into the nitty-gritty and talk about what sets this aside from a normal defamation case. Because I'm assuming most of you are sitting there going, "Man, if they've been sued for a million dollars, how come Dylan hasn't been sued yet?" Because YouTubers are covered. A YouTube is an opinion based. A review falls under opinion. And there's been lots of cases in the past that have basically built into the defamation >> act >> act uh that gives us safety. So in America, yes, they have a freedom of speech. We don't have freedom of speech, but we do have other protections. So what are they, Ash?

[00:02:19]>> Uh the defense of honest opinion and fair comment. Yep. They're the two defenses that would get argued if you went into a defamation case, which is why you would win. And the past, there's just two cases that got jotted down where this actually went to court and the defendants won. Who were they?

[00:02:32]>> So, Channel 7 Adelaide versus Mano in 2007 and Pervin versus New North Queensland newspaper in 1993.

[00:02:40]>> Yeah. So, that's where the defendants were actually allowed to have free comment and that is what you're protected under. So in a normal scenario, the cart rights would have been pro protected under that defense.

[00:02:53]There's there's more to this story as well where it comes to their actual defense. It gets really interesting, but the reason theirs is differs. So after they weren't happy with their caravan, they went to Mastercase >> Masterpiece and said they want they want to basically get a refund. The van's [ __ ] They want a refund. Give us their money back. It didn't work. They went to court and the court agreed. Yep. It was all settled in court and it was agreed that they would get a full refund, $198,000 or something like that. And in return, the cart rights agreed that they would have zero negative comments against the company. Ash and I, well, Ash isn't, but I personally am under one of these agreements with a caravan company. I'm not allowed to say who it is. I'm not allowed to comment about them. I'm not allowed to say anything bad about any of the directors, nothing.

[00:03:42]It's the exact same agreement they're under. I kept my mouth shut. I haven't been sued. The cartrights unfortunately, signed that document, got the money back, and within like two days, I think I'm reading. So, allegedly, I believe it's 2 days, they went to town and attacked the company even though they got their money back. That is why they got sued. Let's continue into this story to see what happened. Okay, so after that contract was signed, they released two videos, correct, Ash, talking about it?

[00:04:12]>> Yep. One of them named Homeless, Our Caravan's Gone.

[00:04:16]>> Yeah. And then so the courts basically took that into account when they got sued. So the >> I'm going to say masterclass again, but it's Masterpiece.

[00:04:24]>> Yes.

[00:04:24]>> Masterpiece basically said, "Right, you can't put videos up. You signed a contract. We're taking you to court."

[00:04:31]And what did the court find? So, the court found that these videos gave viewers the impression that Masterpiece had left them homeless, the caravan had catastrophic defects, and that they were being silenced from telling the full story, which is perfectly fine if you hadn't signed a contract saying you would not say anything defaming.

[00:04:54]Why sign a contract with the courts and then go and break it? You guys comment below, but I think they have rocks in their head. Like, why on earth? I love the cut rights. Why would you sign a document saying you won't defame them and then go and do it a couple of days later? Like, I don't know how stupid how many rocks you have to have in your head to do that, but it's just moronic. And where it gets even worse, from what I'm reading and seeing online, the bloody flogs didn't even show up to court. They're showing that they did email the court with some bits and pieces. There's no full transcripts yet, but they're saying that they were emailing them, but on the actual day court appearance, they didn't appear. I don't know why. We can all assume why they didn't appear. It's up to you guys to have your own assumption. But as a result of that, their defense was then thrown out. The courts are legally allowed to do this because you haven't shown up to defend yourself. They just basically run with what the plaintiff is saying about you.

[00:06:02]Why they didn't show up, I have no idea.

[00:06:04]Okay, so I want you legends to imagine this. You're in your 200k caravan.

[00:06:10]You're off on a lap around Australia.

[00:06:12]You've just woken up next to a beach somewhere. Life's great. Grab your phone, check your inbox, and there's an email from the courts saying you now owe >> $1 million >> in a legal case. It's set in stone. It's done. The only thing you can do is lawyer up and do a >> appeal >> and hopefully get it downgraded, which is I'm assuming what they will do. But now there's going to be big legal fees coming to protect this. So the courts basically said ash >> videos cause commercial damage including loss of sales, reputation and loss of orders.

[00:06:52]>> Yeah. So the courts were able to yes the caravan market is on a massive d downward trend but they were able to look at market averages and see that there was much worse damage caused as a result of these videos. That's the difference with 2026. Right Ash?

[00:07:12]>> Exactly. Usually if you have a bad experience, you just go complain to your mates at the pub.

[00:07:16]>> But now any vlog like me can pick up a camera and start recording and you can get it out to millions of people if it goes viral.

[00:07:24]>> And if it hits on the caravan Facebook groups, well, watch out.

[00:07:29]>> So yeah, unfortunately it's just now a different beast you live in. But as I said, this was a simple, cleancut case that there's no point of them appealing it because they had a contract. They broke the contract. It's just pure stupidity.

[00:07:46]Let's talk about what's going to happen to the cart rights now. Realistically, what is the next steps that happen once they accept that this million bucks needs to be paid? Okay. So, I'm sure all of you guys are sitting there going, if it was you, if it was me, you don't have a million bucks cash to just give over to a company. So, what's going to happen? There's a couple of different paths that this can go down. So if they don't pay, there can be a forced seizure to basically go and take their current car or current truck, their current caravan. If they still have a property, that can be seized and sold. Any money coming in from YouTube can be seized.

[00:08:27]Basically, everything can be taken from them to pay this debt off. There can also be agreements made which would be a smart option for them to basically go in and try and come up with an agreement to get this payment down lower and maybe sell their truck and pay it off. There's all different things that they can come up with to make this a better situation for them. The only way they have of getting out of this easier, which is if it was me in their situation, I would be recommending this bankruptcy.

[00:09:01]It's not as easy as you think. They're still going to have to sell everything and give them that cash, but then claim bankruptcy once they've got no money left. That's it. We're cleaned out. We don't have the million bucks. You've got every cent from us that we have. We're now filing bankruptcy. And that's it.

[00:09:17]The rest of the debt goes away. they they weren't physically able to pay it.

[00:09:20]It's done for 3 years though. That means no loans, no businesses they can start up. It hurts you in many ways. So, it's not an easy decision to make and it will affect them for the next 3 years and one day.

[00:09:34]>> Why one day?

[00:09:35]>> That's just what the rule is. It's an extra day. 3 years and one day. Maybe is there is there a leap here every third day?

[00:09:42]>> Third year.

[00:09:43]>> Yeah.

[00:09:45]>> No, I think it's four years. Oh, well, 3 years in one day. Okay, so let's wrap this bad boy up. I actually want to hear from you guys. Now you know all the facts and the figures that there was a signed court agreement that they would not say anything defamation and they got their money back for their caravan.

[00:10:02]Should they have kept their mouth shut?

[00:10:04]That's number one. Or do you think they still had a right to tell the public? I think yes. I am frustrated that I can't warn you guys about the company that I've had to sign one of these agreements on. It frustrates me to all hell. I don't want you guys to buy it, but there's nothing I can do. That's what it is. I'm not stupid enough to say anything. I wish these didn't exist as a lot of the people that I've helped through consumer law, they all end up this way. A lot of the it just seems to be caravan companies know that if they go to QCAT or your local tribunal, shut up birdie, we're having a conversation.

[00:10:44]They know that if you go to your local tribunal, get it to court, that they can then they're happy to give you money back then because they will slap one of these clauses on you and that's what they're looking for. So that way their reputation stays intact. And I hate it.

[00:10:59]I wish the courts would not allow it to happen because I think the public has a right to know. If the judge has ruled, yes, the caravan has enough major faults, it's a piece of [ __ ] and you have to give them their money back. The public has a right to know. What do you reckon?

[00:11:16]>> Agreed.

[00:11:16]>> Yep. And I think this is unfortunately the courts have let the cartrids down because it shouldn't have be allowed to go this way. But I want to hear from you legends. What do you think, Ash? What do you think?

[00:11:30]I think that the whole thing's a circus.

[00:11:34]>> That's what social media does, right though.

[00:11:37]>> Yep.

[00:11:38]>> Like we saw it with DCS and it went the other way. That dude, that was a simple defamation clause and he actually didn't have enough. He had too many employees to even sue cuz in Australia you can't even sue for defamation if you have over 12 employees. So they didn't even get to the defamation part cuz old mate had too many employees.

[00:11:56]>> Mhm.

[00:11:56]>> So yes, it's a circus. It's a mess. But the main thing I want any YouTuber out there watching this, you are still free to give honest opinions. Don't pucker up and get too scared to give honest opinions and just start giving these blanket [ __ ] Yeah, they're really good.

[00:12:12]I love it. It's really good. That's crap. That's not good for anybody. Stay doing your thing. If you're getting [ __ ] reach out with me. I will help you with any of your legal cases. We're safeguarded. It's all good. We live in a good country where we get to tell the truth.

[00:12:28]just maybe throw at the start of your video. This is my opinion. That way you're covered. Anything else?

[00:12:34]>> Like, comment, subscribe, share, check out the Facebook and Instagram page and the website.

[00:12:42]>> Winner. First time. Look, >> the second time.

[00:12:45]>> What is this? Seven years. Seven years we've been filming.

[00:12:47]>> Changing it.

[00:12:49]>> Yeah. Hope you guys enjoyed this. We're going to go feed the horses before it gets too dark. Till next time. See you.