As wacky as Ford is, I don't think he'll lose this case. First of all, he never said Foulidis' name once, just mentioned Tuggs. Second, George Foulidis isn't even the owner of Tuggs, his brother is. So, the wrong guy is suing for a start.
I think the common man on the street can agree the deal was a nasty affair. You've got the Tuggs' people with a history of fraudulent activity, and their friends reportedly making sizable donations to Bussin's campaign, and then council, against the advice of the bureaucrats, approves in-camera (i.e. out of public record) an untendered exclusive contract for all food sales for the entire length of the eastern Beaches to this company.
None of this is illegal, you can donate to anyone's campaign, and council can ignore the bureaucrats and conduct in-camera biz, but the whole deal smells. Makes we wonder if Jacko is somewhere in the background.