Melbourne and Sachi Dade, the partner of premiership defender Steven May, have resolved their legal battle with both parties agreeing on a financial settlement. Dade accused the club of three breaches over a “serious invasion of privacy” in regards to a series of incidents on the eve of the season.
Allegations of Privacy Breaches
She alleged three privacy breaches were committed across two days on February 4 and 5 and a third breach involved a Teams meeting attended by 15 people. Channel 7’s Tom Morris reported in April that confidentiality obligations were breached regarding May and Dade’s personal situation during a Teams call with the partners of players.
Melbourne apologised for causing distress, saying the meeting was held to provide reassurance of the club’s commitment to supporting families as well as the playing group.
Case Resolved Before Court
The case was set to be heard in court later this year, but Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson reported it has been resolved in a major relief for all parties. “I can tell you that tonight that case has been settled. It has been resolved. It won’t go to court on September 11, as was being forecast,” Wilson reported on The Agenda Setters. “My understanding is that the club has settled financially with Sachi Dade. And there has been an apology for what took place in that meeting. “That’s a huge relief for the Demons, I would have thought as well, given how the stress of this situation the past couple of months. I think it’s a huge relief for all parties. I don’t think anyone probably wanted to go to court about this. I don’t think it would have been pleasant for Steven or Sachi.”
Club Officials Involved
Melbourne coach Steven King and football manager Alan Richardson were in the meeting and were both being sued by Dade as well as the club. Speaking on The Agenda Setters, King said he regrets how the meeting was handled. “I think it’s something we as a club got wrong, we had good intent but if we had our time again, we acknowledge that was a mistake and we shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
Steven May's Retirement
May, a premiership player and dual All Australian, retired from the club in March after what he described as a mental breakdown. He had been on personal leave for several weeks before announcing his immediate retirement from the AFL. “It’s an incredibly tough decision to make on the eve of the season, but I know it’s the right one for myself, my family and the team,” May posted on social media. He played 128 games with Melbourne and 123 for Gold Coast, where he was also co-captain for two seasons.
— With AAP
