Former Carlton AFL club president Luke Sayers has settled a defamation legal battle with his ex-wife, Cate, issuing an unreserved apology to her over a scandal involving an explicit image. The settlement was reached just before an anticipated court confrontation in Victoria's Supreme Court on Friday.
Sayers had denied responsibility for a post made on January 8 of the previous year. This post included an image of a penis and tagged a female executive from Bupa, a sponsor of the Carlton club. His ex-wife accused Sayers of defamation, breach of confidence, and invasion of privacy through the publication of a statutory declaration he had submitted in an effort to clear his name.
She alleged that the AFL, in conjunction with the businessman and Carlton, colluded to exonerate him from allegations related to the photograph.
In court on Friday, Sayers' lawyer read out an apology letter on his behalf. "I acknowledge the extreme hurt and harm caused to Cate Sayers [in suggesting she may have posted the 'd*** pic']," the letter stated. "I accept that she did not do this. To the extent that I may have suggested otherwise - I apologise unreservedly to her."
Outside the court, Ms. Sayers acknowledged her ex-husband's apology. "I acknowledge Luke's public apology to me today, including his clear statement that I was not responsible for posting an explicit image on his X account," she said. "This brings to a close a painful and difficult chapter that began with extraordinary claims being made about me that were accepted without challenge by powerful institutions and powerful people. I commenced these proceedings to establish the truth clearly and finally. With Luke's apology today, I feel I have achieved what I set out to do."