Full Breakdown
Former Carlton President Luke Sayers Apologises in Settlement of Defamation Case with Ex-Wife
By Drooid · · How we work
Settlement and Apology
On September 11, 2026, the Victorian Supreme Court heard the conclusion of a defamation dispute between former AFL club president Luke Sayers and his ex-wife, Cate Sayers. The court dismissed the proceedings, noting that the parties had reached a confidential settlement. The terms of the settlement, including any monetary component, were not disclosed.
Background & Context
In January 2025, a photograph of Luke Sayers’s genitals was posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account while he was in Italy with his then-wife and their four daughters. The image was quickly deleted but was captured by other users. An AFL integrity investigation later concluded that Sayers’s account had been “compromised” and cleared him of breaching AFL rules.
Following the incident, Sayers submitted a statutory declaration to AFL investigators that alleged Cate Sayers had accessed his account, posted the image, and that she suffered from mental-health issues. Cate Sayers denied the allegations and, in 2026, filed a defamation claim in the Supreme Court, asserting that the declaration falsely implicated her and caused “significant distress, hurt and embarrassment.”
Data & Statistics
- Four daughters were mentioned as part of the family affected by the scandal.
- The statutory declaration was a pivotal document in both the AFL investigation and the defamation case.
- The case had been postponed twice before the September 2026 settlement.
Official Statements & Responses
Justice Andrew Watson, presiding over the case, emphasized the practical realities of litigation:
> “All litigation involves time, expense and risk,” — Watson
He also noted that the Supreme Court was the appropriate venue for the defamation claim, rejecting Sayers’s earlier application to move the matter to the Federal Circuit and Family Court.
Luke Sayers’s legal team, led by Arnold Bloch Liebler partner Leon Zwier and senior counsel Matt Collins, KC, argued for confidentiality to protect AFL-related material, but the settlement rendered further hearings unnecessary.
On-the-Ground Reports
She added that she hoped the outcome would empower other women facing similar reputational attacks.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the extent to which the AFL’s internal investigations examined the veracity of Sayers’s statutory declaration. While the AFL integrity unit accepted the declaration at face value, Cate Sayers argued that the investigation failed to interview her and did not conduct a forensic analysis of Sayers’s phone. The settlement agreement prevents further public disclosure of these investigative details, leaving a gap in the public record regarding the AFL’s internal decision-making process.
What’s Next
No further court dates or public actions have been announced. The confidential nature of the settlement means that additional information about the parties’ agreement or any ongoing AFL reforms related to the scandal is unlikely to emerge.