Former Carlton president Luke Sayers will be able to ask for documents to be withheld during his court battle with his estranged wife Cate, a court has ordered.
Cate Sayers has launched defamation action after the explosive social media ‘d**k pic’ scandal that rocked the AFL in early 2025.
Mrs Sayers is alleging Mr Sayers falsely implied she was responsible for posting a photo of his flaccid penis from his X account during last year’s scandal.
She has also accused him of invading her privacy, and alleged that he falsely implied she was behind the publication of the explicit photo, according to court documents.
Luke Sayers claimed hackers compromised his account before resigning as Carlton president shortly after the AFL cleared him of wrongdoing following an integrity unit investigation.
He can now seek to have documents from the AFL, Carlton Football Club, his adviser Sharon McCrohan and an executive from his investment firm, Julie Trainor, excluded from the proceedings.
A court has ordered that Luke Sayers (pictured) can ask for documents to be withheld as his estranged wife Cate sues him for defamation
Cate Sayers (pictured with Mr Sayers) alleges that the former Carlton president falsely implied she was responsible for posting a photo of his flaccid penis during last year’s scandal
The four parties will now give the documents to Mr Sayers so he can decide which ones he wants to claim privilege over before they are seen by Mrs Sayers and her legal team.
Parties in legal proceedings can claim legal professional privilege in order to prevent confidential material from being disclosed.
The AFL is also expected to claim privilege over some of the documents, News Corp reported.
The development comes after text messages between Luke and Cate were exposed in an affidavit filed to the Victorian Supreme Court.
Those messages include an exchange between the couple on January 22 last year, when they were in Europe.
That was the day the AFL and Carlton cleared him of involvement in the publication of the photo.
‘Wondered why I just received a swuillion messages from people in oz,’ Mrs Sayers wrote.
‘Read the media … You are once again cleared – you looked after yourself well but your media people have left it on me – thanks.’
Mr Sayers (pictured) will be able to argue that he has legal professional privilege over documents from Carlton, the AFL and other parties
Cate Sayers (pictured) has also accused Mr Sayers of invading her privacy, and alleged that he falsely implied she was behind the publication of the explicit photo
‘Babe no no no … it couldn’t have been clearer in the statement,’ Mr Sayers replied.
‘Ffs read the statement. No. You didn’t say a hacker or an unrelated person to you had access. The world thinks I posted it. Thanks,’ Mrs Sayers wrote.
The Sayers then argued over his use of the term ‘unauthorised’ to describe the post featuring the photo in the statement he made when he stepped aside from Carlton, with Luke saying it referred to a hacker, while Cate rejected that take, saying, ‘A hacker is a criminal you file a police report against.’
Mr Sayers then made an emotional plea.
‘I have tried to call you. I love you,’ he wrote.
‘It breaks my heart how you are feeling. Nobody we know thinks in any way you did it, that’s all that matters.
‘We must both ignore the media and restart as if it’s 2020. We are no longer in the public eye babe.’
Mr Sayers then asked to meet Cate at a hotel in London.
‘No. I am furious with you. I need space. Find another hotel,’ she said.
