Carbone Lawyers is acting for two others involved in the incident
Slater and Gordon Lawyers has announced that it will be representing one of the women allegedly victimized in a sexual assault case involving players from the football club the Sydney Swans.
Senior lawyer Jackson Pannam revealed the firm’s involvement at a press conference held on Saturday 22 August at Slater and Gordon’s Melbourne office. He said his client was the woman who reached out to Victoria police in the immediate aftermath of the supposed assault.
He said he had been instructed to investigate a possible civil claim that would be distinct from criminal proceedings. He added that his client was coordinating with law enforcement on their investigations.
“Our client has had her entire world turned upside down and is now trying to navigate an incredibly traumatic experience. At Slater and Gordon, we see the profound and long-lasting impact that serious injury, loss and abuse can have on people’s lives. Everyone deserves to be safe going about their life, at home, at work, and in public spaces without risk of being assaulted or harmed”, Pannam said. “We’re standing with our client to give her support at this difficult time, and to help her get the justice she deserves”.
The supposed sexual assault reportedly took place at East Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel on 17 August. Following a victory over Essendon, Sydney Swans players allegedly engaged adult entertainers to come to the hotel; during this time, a player supposedly initiated non-consensual contact with one of the women.
Swans players Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon were stood down by the club for violating its standards of behaviour around drinking and staying out late. Per News.com.au, the supposed sexual assault investigation was revolving around Heeney; nonetheless, police have not formally interviewed him and he has not been arrested or charged. The involved players, who the police have reportedly spoken to, all denied criminal wrongdoing.
Carbone Lawyers’ head of personal injury law and litigation, John Karantzis, is representing two other women involved in the incident who are intending to launch Victorian Supreme Court proceedings against the five players and the Sydney Swans club as a whole. The firm indicated that the women would initiate civil action in the court’s common law division seeking damages for pain, suffering, psychological injury and economic loss.
“We are currently investigating the circumstances and preparing to commence legal proceedings against the club and potentially the individuals involved. Our clients are extremely traumatised and feel that their dignity and personal rights have been seriously violated by the events of Monday”, said Carbone Lawyers partner Manny Carbone in a statement published by The Age on 21 August.
Karantzis added that the women involved had been inundated with “a lot of messages that have been threatening in essence”, per a statement published by ABC News. He said the online trolling and unsolicited communications had induced “severe stress and anxiety” in his clients, causing them to “fear for their life”.
Karantzis told 3AW’s Tom Elliot that he sought “an apology and full transparency as to who was involved and what occurred”, per a snippet of the interview published by News.com.au.
“The Sydney Swans can confirm that all investigations carried out by the Club have consistently indicated that the only representatives of the Club in the room central to the police investigation were the five players who have been stood down”, the club said in an August 21 statement published by News.com.au. “We have every reason to consider that reports to the contrary are simply false. We are respecting the process with the relevant authorities and will refrain from commenting on Police matters. We would also like to take this opportunity to condemn some of the misinformation being reported and are now considering our legal position on those matters”.
