Channel Nine has been ordered to pay a Toowoomba family more than $2 million in damages over a defamatory 60 Minutes report.

Key points: The defamatory report claimed the family was responsible for deaths in the 2011 floods

The defamatory report claimed the family was responsible for deaths in the 2011 floods The network will have to pay the four brothers $600,000 each, plus interest

The network will have to pay the four brothers $600,000 each, plus interest Journalist Nick Cater has been ordered to pay $1.2m in damages

A jury earlier this year found the program, which was broadcast on May 24, 2015, had defamed Denis, John, Neill and Joe Wagner.

The program made several allegations including that the Wagner family were responsible for the deaths of 12 people, including two children, in the 2011 Grantham floods when a quarry wall owned by the family collapsed.

Justice Peter Applegarth wrote in his 86-page ruling that Channel Nine was "recklessly indifferent as to the truth or falsity of those imputations".

He said in the process of preparing the story the network had failed to put to the Wagners the serious allegations contained in its report.

Justice Applegarth said a statement sent by the Wagners to Channel Nine was not used during the program.

"Given the tone and content of the program and 60 Minutes' targeting of the Wagners, it is not surprising that the jury found that the program [had defamed the Wagners]."

He said its omission was "unreasonable, unfair and unjustifiable in the circumstances".

(L-R) Neill, John and Denis Wagner leave the Supreme Court in Brisbane in September. ( AAP: Glenn Hunt )

Justice Applegarth also found there was no evidence Channel Nine had made inquiries to support its allegation that the Wagners' quarry had caused the flooding disaster in Grantham.

"Their carelessness is evidenced by the lateness of any approach to the Wagners, and the fact that the central allegation in the story had already been adopted and publicised by the time that approach was made.

"Even when the Wagners were approached, they were not given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the specific allegations contained in the story."

Channel Nine had made an apology in the court to the Wagners after being found to have defamed them but Justice Applegarth said it fell short of being a clear and unconditional retraction.

"The 'apology' was too little, too late. It did not serve the function of an apology and was ineffective to mitigate the harm caused by the defendants' defamation of the Wagners," he said.

Channel Nine will pay the four brothers $600,000 each in damages plus $63,000 in interest.

A spokesperson for Channel Nine said the company would "review the judgment and consider its position".

Journalist also ordered to pay

Journalist Nick Cater, who was featured in the program, has also been ordered to pay $1.2 million in damages.

Justice Applegarth said Mr Cater had information which contradicted the allegations contained in the program, but it wasn't used.

Kapernick's bridge during flooding in Grantham in 2011. ( Supplied: Margaret Cover )

In response to the ruling, Denis Wagner said it was deeply concerning the 60 Minutes program did not factually report all available information.

"As a family committed to Queensland and the Toowoomba region, we will move forward knowing that when the media do not report in a fair and honest way, they can be held accountable," he said.

"Unfortunately, what will never change is the devastating impact of the Grantham Floods and we offer our most sincere thoughts to all those that were impacted and affected."

Mr Wagner said it was good to put the legal case behind them.

"There are no winners with court actions such as this, but it is satisfying to get the facts on the table and get a court ruling that clearly says that media outlets, regardless of who they are or what reputation they hold, should and must report the facts," he said.

"It reinforces the fact that the operation we had at Grantham did not contribute to the floods down there, it was a terrible event.

"It will take us a long time to put that behind us as a region and a community. We are still mindful of the suffering that a lot of people in that region had through that period."

The Wagners won a similar case against broadcaster Alan Jones last year.

Jones and radio stations 2GB and 4BC were ordered to pay the family $3.75 million.