By Sam Nichols, ABC
Sydney university student Ben Cohen was named as the "lone wolf attacker" who killed six people at a mall. Photo: Supplied/Facebook
Ben Cohen, the man incorrectly identified by the Seven Network as the person responsible for the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, has settled his defamation case against the network.
Cohen was named by the Seven Network after Joel Cauchi killed six people in the attack.
"Seven accepts the identification was a grave mistake and that these assertions were entirely false and without basis," Seven managing director Jeff Howard said in a statement to Cohen.
He said Seven "withdraws the false allegations unreservedly and apologises to you for the harm you and your family have suffered as a result of Seven's statements about you".
In a statement, Cohen said people online who "target individuals or communities should be held accountable for the consequences of their actions, and platforms should be more accountable for the content they host".
Patrick George, who was acting on behalf of Cohen, said in a statement the terms of settlement were confidential.
Mr Cohen's misidentification by the Seven Network was preceded by a number of allegations made online.
According to an ABC investigation, the wrong identification initially occurred online on Saturday afternoon.
It was amplified by a number of accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) in the hours that followed the attack over the weekend.
By 6:15am the next day, Channel 7 News had named Mr Cohen as the "40-year-old lone wolf attacker".
A 7 News spokesperson previously told the ABC the "mistake was human error and it has been rectified" and that "Seven sincerely apologises for the error".
Following the misreporting, Mr Cohen sought representation by prominent barrister Sue Chrysanthou.
- ABC
