Third Woman in Sydney Swans Hotel Scandal Engages Lawyer as Civil Action Looms
A third woman who was in a Melbourne hotel room with five Sydney Swans players has engaged legal representation, with her lawyer saying she has had her "entire world turned upside down" (The Guardian).
The woman has retained Slater and Gordon Lawyers and is exploring a civil claim. Senior lawyer Jackson Pannam said his client was the person who contacted Victoria police immediately after the alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel in east Melbourne early on Monday morning, and is continuing to speak with investigators (The Guardian). Pannam said his client had not spoken to the media and asked for her privacy, and that of the other women involved, to be respected (ABC News).
Two other women who were in the room have engaged Carbone Lawyers, which announced on Friday it was representing them. Manny Carbone, a partner at the firm, said the two women — understood to be adult entertainers hired in the hours after Sydney's win over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday — would launch proceedings in the Victorian Supreme Court to claim damages for pain and suffering, psychological injury and economic loss (ABC News; The Guardian).
Carbone said the women were preparing to commence legal proceedings against the Sydney Swans club and potentially the individuals involved. Any civil claim would run separately to any criminal proceedings (The Guardian).
Victoria police confirmed on Saturday they are continuing to investigate the alleged assault. None of the five players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon — have been arrested or charged (The Guardian).
The Swans stood all five down for the remainder of the AFL season for breaching club standards, including drinking and bringing women back to the team hotel after Sunday's match. The players apologised in a joint statement released by the club on Wednesday evening (The Guardian).
The club said on Saturday it supports Victoria police's decision to release a public statement about the investigation. Sydney also confirmed no member of club staff is involved in the police probe, and that no player had been interviewed by police at that stage (The Guardian).
For the Swans, the sanctions effectively end the season for five senior players, including Heeney and Warner, who have been among the club's most important contributors this year. With the AFL home-and-away season nearing its conclusion and finals positioning still in play for several clubs, losing that calibre of player to an off-field breach compounds the sporting cost of what is, at its core, a serious legal matter.
The legal picture now runs on two tracks. Victoria police continue their criminal investigation. Separately, three women across two law firms are preparing civil claims that could name both the club and individuals.
