A lawyer for Liberal Party fundraiser Nick Di Girolamo has told the Supreme Court in Sydney his client's reputation has been "absolutely destroyed" by Fairfax Media articles.

Mr Di Girolamo - who gave Barry O'Farrell the $3,000 bottle of wine that led to the former premier's dramatic resignation - is suing Fairfax Media over six articles that were published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2012 and 2013.

Some of the articles were published under the headline "A Herald Investigation", and they explored the connections between Mr Di Girolamo and former NSW minister Eddie Obeid, as well as other members of the Obeid family.

They also look at Mr Di Girolamo's former role as a director at Australian Water Holdings, the private water company at the centre of an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

The ICAC is yet to hand down its findings on that matter.

The barrister representing Mr Di Girolamo, Bruce McClintock SC, told the four-person jury the articles, written by Kate McClymont, Sean Nicholls and Linton Besser, "absolutely destroyed" his client's reputation.

Besser is now a reporter for the ABC's Four Corners program.

"In this case the allegations made by Fairfax against my client are right up there at the top of the scale," he said.

"They are allegations of corruption and in effect bribery of a cabinet minister - we're talking about something very serious.

"They accuse my client of corruption; that allegation is completely false."

Mr McClintock told the court Fairfax Media had conducted a smear campaign against Mr Di Girolamo.

"[This case is] about dishonest journalists who lied to my client and set out to trick him," Mr McClintock said.

Di Girolamo's name 'tarnished through association to Obeid'

In his opening address to the hearing, the barrister said the articles in question tarred his client's name through association with Mr Obeid.

"The name Obeid in the eyes of the Sydney Morning Herald has become synonymous with corruption - I'm not saying that's accurate," Mr McClintock said.

"The mention of his name carries a flavour of corruption, but this case is not about him."

Mr McClintock went on to explain to the jury that while the ICAC made findings of corruption against Mr Obeid, he had not been convicted.

The barrister also told the jury about Mr Di Girolamo's connection to Mr Obeid's son, Eddie Obeid junior.

"Another person who worked at Australian Water Holdings was Eddie Obeid junior," Mr McClintock said.

"There was no secret about Eddie Obeid junior working for Australian Water Holdings... The connection between my client and Eddie Obeid junior is that they went to school together years before."

Tom Blackburn, the lawyer representing Fairfax Media, is yet to address the hearing.

The case is set down for a month, and Mr Di Girolamo is sitting in the courtroom for the hearing, along with the three journalists who will take the witness stand to give evidence at a later stage.