Speculation is mounting that actress Rachel Griffiths made a surprise appearance at court during Cate Sayers' legal battle with her estranged husband Luke, potentially alarming AFL headquarters. The star of Muriel's Wedding and Six Feet Under was seated behind Cate as her defamation action against Mr Sayers was heard in Victoria's Supreme Court on Monday.
Griffiths was photographed smiling as she left with Mrs Sayers and her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC after the ex-Carlton president's lawyers argued that the case should be moved to the Family Court to drastically curtail reporting. Reports indicate Griffiths was taking notes, suggesting she was conducting research for a production based on the couple's court battle over the fallout from Mr Sayers' explicit image scandal.
According to the AFR, the actress is 'working on an unannounced project that will draw inspiration from this legal showdown'. A fictional miniseries, film, or documentary based on the defamation action could be a public relations nightmare for the AFL, given how the legal fight has unfolded.
Hollywood star Rachel Griffiths was in Cate Sayers' corner at the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday. There is speculation that Griffiths – reportedly taking notes before leaving with Mrs Sayers and her barrister – was doing research for a production based on the legal battle. A previous development in the Supreme Court fight could force senior AFL officials, club figures, and advisers to produce emails, messages, and internal documents linked to the fallout from the explicit image that briefly appeared on Mr Sayers' X account during a family trip to Italy in January last year.
Among those subject to proposed court orders is AFL corporate affairs boss Sharon McCrohan, who had been brought in to manage the public relations fallout after the post featuring the photo went viral. The image, which tagged a female executive connected to major Carlton sponsor Bupa, was removed within minutes before Mr Sayers publicly claimed his account had been hacked.
Cate Sayers has alleged that Mr Sayers implied she was behind the publication of the explicit photo, according to court documents. Mr Sayers accused hackers of infiltrating his social media accounts and sending the graphic sexual image to a female executive at one of the club's key sponsors. He quit as president of the club on January 22 last year, with the announcement coming just minutes after the AFL cleared him of any wrongdoing.
In court documents, Cate Sayers claims she was defamed after Mr Sayers provided a statutory declaration to the AFL Commission's Integrity Unit, in which she accuses him of alleging that she was responsible for posting the lewd photo on his X account. Mr Sayers also claims she took a confidential draft statement written for submission to the AFL Integrity Unit.
The legal team acting for Cate Sayers has alleged the AFL did not carry out an adequate, independent, or impartial investigation when Mr Sayers was cleared by the league's integrity unit shortly before he resigned as Carlton president. According to filings lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court, Mrs Sayers alleges league investigators never interviewed her, never seized devices for forensic testing, and never properly examined claims surrounding the origin of the image. Her legal team has accused the AFL of working too closely with Luke Sayers and Carlton while publicly clearing him of wrongdoing. 'The AFL did not carry out an adequate, independent or impartial investigation,' the court documents state.
The Daily Mail has contacted the AFL and Rachel Griffiths' management for comment. Mrs Sayers was seen wiping away tears during her appearance on Monday as the court was told she and Mr Sayers will face 'inevitable' cross-examination. The court heard that Mrs Sayers opposes the move to have the case heard in the Family Court. Chrysanthou told the court her client was seeking public vindication and wanted jurors to hear directly from her. 'From my client's perspective, that involves the public being able to see that and to hear her evidence,' Chrysanthou said. Justice Andrew Watson reserved his decision on the competing applications at the conclusion of Monday's proceedings.
The estranged couple's daughter Bronte uploaded an image of a cake with the words 'F*** them all' written in icing to Instagram on Monday night, shortly after the hearing finished. Soon after, Bronte's sister Claudia Sayers shared a screenshot of media coverage about the cake post. Claudia added the caption: 'Thanks dad for always being in our corner.' Bronte later re-shared that message to her own followers in another public display of support for their father.
