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MoreQuiet 13d · day 14

Luke Sayers apologises to settle ex-wife's defamation case over explicit photo

Former Carlton president admits he falsely blamed Cate Sayers for posting a lewd image, ending high-stakes legal battle.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 13d ago8 pieces NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • Luke Sayers settled Cate's defamation case by apologizing for falsely claiming she posted an explicit image to his X account in January 2025, which led to his resignation as Carlton president.
  • The case centred on a statutory declaration Sayers gave to AFL investigators that falsely blamed Cate and contained unverified claims about her mental health; the document circulated through AFL circles, damaging her reputation.
  • The settlement avoids potentially damaging testimony about how Luke, the AFL, and Carlton mishandled the scandal—Sayers had twice postponed court dates seeking negotiated resolution.
  • Cate framed the outcome as vindication and solidarity with other women whose reputations have been treated as expendable by powerful institutions.

“I have been overwhelmed by the support she had received from 'so many women and others, including many whose reputations have been treated as expendable'.”

Cate Sayers, Plaintiff in defamation case · Sydney Morning Herald ↗

Luke Sayers Former Carlton president, ex-PwC CEOCate Sayers Ex-wife of Luke Sayers

Luke Sayers apologises to settle ex-wife's defamation case over explicit photo
Sydney Morning Herald

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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  1. 1

    Cate Sayers describes outcome as vindication

    In a statement outside court, Cate said the settlement closed 'a painful and difficult chapter' and expressed relief that the truth had finally been established. She acknowledged Luke's apology and spoke of being overwhelmed by support from women whose reputations had been treated as expendable, framing her legal victory as potentially giving strength to others facing similar circumstances.

    “This brings to a close a painful and difficult chapter that began with extraordinary claims made about me that were accepted without challenge by powerful institutions and powerful people.”
    — Cate Sayers
    1. 4 outlets Former Blues president Luke Sayers issues apology to end high-stakes defamation case with ex-wife

      first by Sydney Morning Herald, 13d ago · also Guardian, ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC Australia

      2 more headlines
  2. background

    Sayers settles defamation case with public apology — On Friday in the Victorian Supreme Court, lawyers for the couple announced they had reached a confidential settlement. Sayers's counsel read a statement in which Sayers apologised unreservedly to Cate, acknowledging the 'extreme hurt and harm' caused by suggesting she was responsible for the explicit image and accepting that she did not post it.

  3. background

    Cate Sayers sues for defamation over statutory declaration — A year after the explicit photo incident, Cate sued Luke for defamation in the Victorian Supreme Court, alleging he provided a false statutory declaration to AFL investigators claiming she was responsible for posting the image. The declaration also contained claims about her mental health and sexual history, and was circulated within AFL circles via 'grapevine effect', causing her to be shunned by associates.

  4. background

    Sayers attempts to move case to Federal Circuit and Family Court — Earlier in 2026, Sayers applied to have the defamation case transferred to the Federal Circuit and Family Court, a move that would have effectively prevented media reporting of the case. The application was unsuccessful.

  5. background

    Sayers accuses ex-wife of accessing his phone — In response to his ex-wife's emerging claims, Sayers denied leaking details of his statutory declaration to media and accused Cate of accessing his phone in March 2025 to view and copy confidential material.

  6. background

    Luke Sayers steps down as Carlton president — Following the explicit image posted to his social media account, Sayers resigned from his position as Carlton Football Club president.

  7. background

    Explicit image posted to Luke Sayers' X account — A photograph of Luke Sayers's genitals was posted to his X account while he was in Italy with his then-wife and daughters. The post was quickly deleted but was screenshotted by other users. Sayers later claimed in court documents that the post was made while he was in the shower.

  8. background

    AFL inquiry clears Sayers but never interviews Cate — An AFL-launched inquiry cleared Sayers of breaching AFL rules and found that access to his account 'was compromised'. Notably, Cate Sayers was never interviewed as part of the investigation, and Sayers's phone was not forensically examined.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Ex-Carlton, PwC boss Luke Sayers settles lawsuit with ex-wife over lewd pic

    first by Nine.com.au, 13d ago · also Sydney Morning Herald

    1 more headline