Lawyers for two of the women involved in the Sydney Swans alleged sexual assault case are reportedly preparing to launch legal action in the Victorian Supreme Court against the five players and the club.
The Age reported on Friday afternoon that a lawyer representing the two women said legal proceedings would be launched in the Common Law Division of the Victorian Supreme Court, with the women set to claim damages for pain and suffering, psychological injury and economic loss.
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“We are currently investigating the circumstances and preparing to commence legal proceedings against the club and potentially the individuals involved,” Manny Carbone, a partner at Carbone Lawyers, said.
“Our clients are extremely traumatised and feel that their dignity and personal rights have been seriously violated by the events of Monday.”
Earlier on Friday, a lawyer representing two of the women involved in the Sydney Swans alleged sexual assault case has claimed that there were more men than banned quintet Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordan in the hotel room at the Pullman opposite the MCG.
Speaking to Melbourne radio station 3AW’s Tom Elliott, Carbone Lawyers personal injury head John Karantzis said on Friday morning that that what happened to his clients was the most “disgusting and degrading” thing he has heard in his near three-decade-long career.
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Karantzis also claimed that “leaders” of the club were in the room in the early hours of Monday morning.
“With what has been alleged, these women were subject to the most disgusting actions and behaviour I have ever heard about in my 28 years as a lawyer,” Karantzis told 3AW.
“These women already have a difficult job and what they were subjected to is alleged, demeaning, abhorrent, and simply not moral or acceptable.
“They’re suffering severe stress and anxiety, they’re actually fearing for their life at the moment. There’s a lot of interest in this case and they are literally in hiding and they are suffering.”
Karantzis reiterated an allegation that things between the players and the women, one of whom was an exotic performer giving lap dancers, had gone further than agreed.
“Unfortunately, that’s the case, things did get out of hand. I can’t go into details … however the line was crossed and unfortunately what they’ve been subjected to I literally cannot say on the radio,” he claimed.
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Elliott asked Karantzis about the number of men in the room, and their identities, to which the lawyer replied: “It’s more than five (men in the room), that’s for sure.”
“More than five men and it’s alleged that there were even a few leaders in that room,” he added.
Elliott then asked whether Karantzis meant coaches.
“I can’t say in concern to that, that is for the Sydney Swans to say,” he replied.
Swans’ men’s head coach Dean Cox told reporters, “I was not in the room”, as he and men’s captain Callum Mills spoke to the media on outside Sydney’s headquarters on Friday morning.
It was reported on Thursday night that up to nine men were in the room, with claims that drugs were present. In terms of “leaders” known to be present, Heeney — who has been named as central to the alleged incident — is the Swans vice-captain.
The Swans have since released a statement disputing Karantzis’ claim, and other reports claiming that club figures beyond the five players were present.
“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 statement said.
“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.”
In the wake of the fallout to the Swans hotel room incident, triple premiership Cat Tom Hawkins delivered a powerful message.
“It’s been nothing short of a debacle, and I won’t touch on the alleged allegations of what went on, but it is becoming a bit of a societal issue treatment towards women, in particular by men,” Hawkins told Fox Footy on Friday night.
“So we’ve got a duty as a code and a responsibility as leaders within the game, particularly as players, to really try and champion that.
“You know, I’m a father that’s got two daughters, I’ve got sisters. So when I think about it through that lens, it’s really troublesome.
“I think they’ve been strong and confronted what has been the issues.
“I liked what Callum (Mills) came forward and said, but there’s still a hell of a lot to play out from a Sydney Swans point of view.”
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