Guy Sebastian Settles Federal Court Claim Against Former Manager Titus Day
Australian pop artist Guy Sebastian has settled his Federal Court claim against former manager Titus Day through a confidential agreement, ending a legal dispute that ran for nearly a decade.
Sebastian's lawyer, Mark Faraday, told the court that a "compromise" had been reached in respect of the singer's significant claim, according to Billboard. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. Sebastian said he was prepared to set aside his claim, forgive, and move forward.
Day, who managed Sebastian for eleven-and-a-half years until their relationship ended in a financial dispute, issued a statement on Wednesday, 14 August, admitting he had made "a number of regrettable decisions which have had painful consequences." He acknowledged that he had become a poor steward of Sebastian's income, including money his company received after Sebastian left the management firm in 2017. Day has since relocated to America, his lawyer confirmed, as reported by News.com.au.
The settlement closes a chapter that began with Sebastian launching legal action to recoup money he believed Day owed him. In 2022, Day was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzling A$600,000 from Sebastian. His convictions were later quashed on appeal, and he was freed. Day is now selling his landmark Bondi home to cover legal costs from two expensive and unsuccessful trials, News.com.au reported in September 2025.
The financial entanglement between the two ran deep. Sebastian was to be paid roughly A$500,000 for supporting Taylor Swift on an Australian tour, but incurred costs of about A$180,000 — including the price of pulling out of the tour — as a result of the dispute, according to evidence reported during Day's trial.
Sebastian, who won the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, has built one of Australia's most durable pop careers: seven ARIA Awards, three ARIA No. 1 albums (Just As I Am, Armageddon, and T.R.U.T.H.), and six solo chart-toppers on the ARIA Singles Chart. His 10th studio album, 100 Times Around The Sun, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart.
Looking ahead, Sebastian has spoken of plans to build his own label and lead a management team, in partnership with Sony Music Australia. The settlement clears the way for that next phase, free of a court case that has shadowed his career for the better part of a decade.
