A Supreme Court of Victoria order has pinpointed a critical 23-day window, from January 8 to January 31 of last year, as central to the legal battle surrounding former Carlton Football Club president Luke Sayers. This period, marked by media frenzy and Sayers' resignation, is now the focus of document disclosure.
New court documents reveal that the family of Luke Sayers was significantly impacted by the scandal, which broke while they were on holiday in Italy. Following the controversy, Sayers' estranged wife, Cate, initiated defamation proceedings against him in the Supreme Court of Victoria. She alleges that Sayers defamed her, breached confidence, and committed an invasion of privacy by publishing a statutory declaration intended to clear his name. Cate Sayers also claims the AFL colluded with Sayers and Carlton to exonerate him from allegations connected to the photograph.
Justice Andrew Watson's recent order mandates that the AFL, Carlton Football Club, Julie Trainor of Tenet Advisory, and Sharon McCrohan of the AFL hand over specified documents. These documents are largely confined to the January 2025 window and relate to the "republication, dissemination or repetition" of a statutory declaration at the core of the case. Both women have been ordered to produce personal correspondence and records from this period.
Sayers had initially contested subpoenas for these documents in May 2026. However, the parties have since reached a negotiated compromise. Under the new order, the AFL is required to provide a schedule of documents it intends to withhold based on legal privilege, separate from any claims made by Sayers himself. The AFL reserves the right to argue that materials from its integrity unit investigation should remain confidential. Cate Sayers has until July 27 to file submissions contesting any privilege claims made by the AFL, with any disputes to be heard in August.
Sayers himself is also ordered to categorize all subpoenaed documents into "privileged," "non-privileged," and "extraneous" bundles. Any privilege claims he makes will be argued via submissions due next week. The legal proceedings are expected to continue through November, with witness timelines being set by the end of October.
Sayers' attempt to move the case to the Federal Court to avoid public scrutiny was rejected by Justice Watson, who ruled that the matter should remain in the Supreme Court, where defamation proceedings are typically heard publicly. This decision paves the way for significant public and media attention during the trial.
During the scandal's eruption on January 8 last year, a picture of a penis was posted on Sayers' X account, tagging a female executive at Bupa, a Carlton sponsor. The post was quickly removed. Sayers, through his filings, argued that his personal assistant managed his X account and he did not operate his social media. Cate Sayers alleges that Luke Sayers told the AFL that she had accessed his account without his knowledge or authority and posted the photograph. He also allegedly claimed she suffers from mental illness and periodically refuses prescribed medication.
The AFL concluded its investigation and cleared Sayers almost immediately after he provided his statutory declaration. He resigned as Carlton president shortly thereafter. Notably, the AFL's integrity unit had identified Cate Sayers as a "person relevant" to the matter but did not interview her. Carlton also closed its inquiry soon after Sayers' resignation.
Two of Sayers' four daughters issued a statement in January supporting their father, attributing the parental dispute to a complex family history. This statement was issued through the same public relations firm representing their father.