Victorian Liberal deputy Sam Groth and wife threaten defamation and privacy action over News Corp stories
The legal letter from law firm Giles George alleges two articles in the Herald Sun and social media posts published this week constitute a serious invasion of Brittany Groth's privacy under new tort laws, which came into force last month.
'The article did not amount to 'news' and did not even have the 'character of news' – it was not 'journalistic material',' the letter from defamation lawyer Patrick George claimed.
'It was, at best, malicious gossip which was not even investigated ... It would be too kind to describe the article as 'gutter journalism' because it did not amount to 'journalism' at all.'
The articles are likely to cause serious harm to the MP's reputation,, the letter said.
According to the letter the articles were also published by the Courier Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Mercury and promoted on News Corp's social media accounts, and were open for comments by members of the public.
The Groths are demanding all the articles and posts be removed permanently by 5pm on Wednesday and the paper publish an apology, with the legal letter saying in part: 'On 29 July 2025, the Herald Sun published disgraceful gossip about Sam and Brittany Groth. The allegations that were published were defamatory, false and extremely improper – they should not have been published'.
The letter also claims that the Groths intend to 'pursue legal action against your sources' and demands as 'a matter of urgency that the names of those sources be provided, along with the retention of 'all communications' with them.
Sam Groth, said the publication was 'a shock and a disgrace'.
'It amounted to serious tortious conduct in relation to which we will pursue legal action if it cannot be resolved,' he said.
'It is shocking that a media company would behave this way in 2025 – taking away a woman's privacy and agency and causing her extreme distress as a mother.
'This is not just about us. It's about drawing a line in the sand and ensuring that publishers are not allowed to get away with defamation and the reckless harm it causes.'
The article claimed unnamed 'Liberal colleagues' had raised concerns with Groth over when the couple's relationship began, as they feared the issue could be weaponised by their political opponents. The letter states 'we are instructed that no colleague, Liberal or otherwise, raised the matter with our client prior to your [reporter's] questions being sent … this was not an issue in the party room, or more broadly'.
Asked about the report on Tuesday, the premier, Jacinta Allan, refused to comment, stating 'families shouldn't be dragged into politics'.
The Victorian Liberal leader, Brad Battin, said 'any attempt to besmirch the relationship of Sam, Britt and their children is a disgrace'.
Groth was elevated to deputy Liberal leader in December after a successful spill by Battin against then-leader, John Pesutto, who had lost a defamation case brought on by fellow Liberal MP, Moira Deeming.
The editor of the Herald Sun, Sam Weir, declined to comment when approached by Guardian Australia but was quoted in the Herald Sun: 'We stand by our reporting on a matter of public interest, covering important issues which could have a major impact on Victorian politics in the lead-up to an election.'
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