Latest news with #Groth
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Even for less than honourable professions, this was way out of bounds
It is a serious allegation which, if proven under Victorian law, would make Sam Groth, a parliamentarian with ambitions to lead his party and the state, guilty of a sex crime against a minor. The Herald Sun investigation did not substantiate the allegation, which on Wednesday was denied by Groth. Instead, it has created a likely test case for Australia's strengthened privacy laws, which include a new statutory tort for serious invasion of privacy. The paper's interest in the Groths' sexual history was piqued by the Groths' comments in previous interviews when they said the first met in 2011 at the Templestowe Park Tennis Club. This would make Brittany 16 or 17 years old and Sam Groth either 23 or 24. Drill reported that unnamed Liberal Party colleagues raised the issue with Groth amid concerns it could be weaponised by his political opponents. This suggests Groth's enemies within the Liberal Party fuelled this grubby exposé. Groth says the matter was never raised with him by a colleague. He also says neither he nor Brittany – the only two people who know the circumstances of when their sexual relationship started – spoke to the Herald Sun about the story before publication. The Groths' lawyers, defamation expert Patrick George and barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, are the team which successfully sued former Liberal leader John Pesutto on behalf of colleague Moira Deeming. On Wednesday morning, their legal letter landed in the inbox of Herald Sun editor-in-chief Sam Weir. Loading If this case progresses to trial, it will be nervously watched by rival media organisations including Nine, the publisher of this masthead, which lobbied for years against the introduction of a statutory privacy tort. The concerns notice seen by this masthead makes clear that while the defamatory imputations are against Sam Groth – the most serious being that 'he sexually assaulted Brittany when she was under 18' and 'committed a crime of sexual assault against a minor in his care or supervision' – the most egregious invasion of privacy was against Brittany Groth. Any woman, even one married to a politician, should be safe in thinking their teenage sexual history is off-limits to political skulduggery and newspaper snooping. The concerns notice describes the decision to 'name and shame' Brittany Groth as an alleged victim of child sexual assault as a 'grotesque act'. 'There was no basis to allege that any relevant sexual misconduct took place merely because our clients are said to have met when Mrs Groth was 17,' the notice read. 'Mr Groth has not been charged with any crime, or even investigated or questioned by police.' The privacy laws recognise media freedom as a countervailing public interest. The Herald Sun, which is standing by its reporting, will seek to test the strength of this provision. The outcome of any trial could have far-reaching implications for journalism and the politicians we report on. But at its heart, this story turns on questions that, frankly, feel wrong to ask. Are any of us entitled to know when and in what circumstances a politician and their partner consummated a loving, ongoing relationship? To return to Ferguson's observation about journalists, we're not awful people, really.
The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
Even for less than honourable professions, this was way out of bounds
It is a serious allegation which, if proven under Victorian law, would make Sam Groth, a parliamentarian with ambitions to lead his party and the state, guilty of a sex crime against a minor. The Herald Sun investigation did not substantiate the allegation, which on Wednesday was denied by Groth. Instead, it has created a likely test case for Australia's strengthened privacy laws, which include a new statutory tort for serious invasion of privacy. The paper's interest in the Groths' sexual history was piqued by the Groths' comments in previous interviews when they said the first met in 2011 at the Templestowe Park Tennis Club. This would make Brittany 16 or 17 years old and Sam Groth either 23 or 24. Drill reported that unnamed Liberal Party colleagues raised the issue with Groth amid concerns it could be weaponised by his political opponents. This suggests Groth's enemies within the Liberal Party fuelled this grubby exposé. Groth says the matter was never raised with him by a colleague. He also says neither he nor Brittany – the only two people who know the circumstances of when their sexual relationship started – spoke to the Herald Sun about the story before publication. The Groths' lawyers, defamation expert Patrick George and barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, are the team which successfully sued former Liberal leader John Pesutto on behalf of colleague Moira Deeming. On Wednesday morning, their legal letter landed in the inbox of Herald Sun editor-in-chief Sam Weir. Loading If this case progresses to trial, it will be nervously watched by rival media organisations including Nine, the publisher of this masthead, which lobbied for years against the introduction of a statutory privacy tort. The concerns notice seen by this masthead makes clear that while the defamatory imputations are against Sam Groth – the most serious being that 'he sexually assaulted Brittany when she was under 18' and 'committed a crime of sexual assault against a minor in his care or supervision' – the most egregious invasion of privacy was against Brittany Groth. Any woman, even one married to a politician, should be safe in thinking their teenage sexual history is off-limits to political skulduggery and newspaper snooping. The concerns notice describes the decision to 'name and shame' Brittany Groth as an alleged victim of child sexual assault as a 'grotesque act'. 'There was no basis to allege that any relevant sexual misconduct took place merely because our clients are said to have met when Mrs Groth was 17,' the notice read. 'Mr Groth has not been charged with any crime, or even investigated or questioned by police.' The privacy laws recognise media freedom as a countervailing public interest. The Herald Sun, which is standing by its reporting, will seek to test the strength of this provision. The outcome of any trial could have far-reaching implications for journalism and the politicians we report on. But at its heart, this story turns on questions that, frankly, feel wrong to ask. Are any of us entitled to know when and in what circumstances a politician and their partner consummated a loving, ongoing relationship? To return to Ferguson's observation about journalists, we're not awful people, really.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Victorian Liberal deputy Sam Groth and wife threaten defamation and privacy action over News Corp stories
Victorian Liberal party deputy leader and former Australian tennis star, Sam Groth, has threatened legal action over News Corp stories which claimed Liberal colleagues of Groth's were querying how he began his relationship with his wife, Brittany, with his lawyers claiming the articles are worse than 'gutter journalism'. 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.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Liberal deputy Sam Groth to test new privacy laws over ‘malicious gossip'
Victorian Liberal MP and former tennis star Sam Groth could be a test case for Australia's new privacy laws after launching legal action against the Herald Sun and one of its journalists over what he claims was a serious invasion of his private life. Groth and his wife, Brittany, on Wednesday issued a concerns notice against the newspaper after it published a series of reports suggesting their relationship began on an illegal basis. The articles – which were condemned by Premier Jacinta Allan and Opposition Leader Brad Battin for breaching a long-held convention against scrutinising politicians' family lives – implied the couple began their sexual relationship while she was under 18 and he, as a tennis coach, was responsible for her care. Groth, who is deputy leader of the state Liberal Party, issued a statement on Wednesday describing the reports as false and defamatory. 'Yesterday's publication about us was a shock and a disgrace,' he said. 'It was full of lies. 'It was a serious act of misconduct for a newspaper to name and shame an alleged victim without her prior knowledge or consent. 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.' In a scathing concerns letter, lawyers for the Groths warned that the reports constituted a serious breach of Brittany Groth's privacy under a new tort law, which came into force in June. The letter also signalled their intention to sue for defamation. 'The at best, malicious gossip which was not even investigated,' the letter reads. 'There was no basis to allege that any relevant sexual misconduct took place merely because our clients are said to have met when Mrs Groth was 17.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Liberal deputy Sam Groth to test new privacy laws over ‘malicious gossip'
Victorian Liberal MP and former tennis star Sam Groth could be a test case for Australia's new privacy laws after launching legal action against the Herald Sun and one of its journalists over what he claims was a serious invasion of his private life. Groth and his wife, Brittany, on Wednesday issued a concerns notice against the newspaper after it published a series of reports suggesting their relationship began on an illegal basis. The articles – which were condemned by Premier Jacinta Allan and Opposition Leader Brad Battin for breaching a long-held convention against scrutinising politicians' family lives – implied the couple began their sexual relationship while she was under 18 and he, as a tennis coach, was responsible for her care. Groth, who is deputy leader of the state Liberal Party, issued a statement on Wednesday describing the reports as false and defamatory. 'Yesterday's publication about us was a shock and a disgrace,' he said. 'It was full of lies. 'It was a serious act of misconduct for a newspaper to name and shame an alleged victim without her prior knowledge or consent. 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.' In a scathing concerns letter, lawyers for the Groths warned that the reports constituted a serious breach of Brittany Groth's privacy under a new tort law, which came into force in June. The letter also signalled their intention to sue for defamation. 'The at best, malicious gossip which was not even investigated,' the letter reads. 'There was no basis to allege that any relevant sexual misconduct took place merely because our clients are said to have met when Mrs Groth was 17.
