Actor Rachel Griffiths makes surprise visit to Supreme Court of Victoria
Updated ,first published
High-profile “dick pic” libel legal battle between Cate Sayers and her ex-husband Luke SayersIt made a comeback in Hollywood on Monday when a former Academy Award nominee caught a glimpse of the action with a surprise appearance in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Australian actor Rachel GriffithsHe was awarded an Oscar for his performance in the movie in 1999. Hilary and Jackieand in 2002, he received an Emmy Award for his work on the TV drama. Six Feet UnderHe added some star power to the ranks of court observers when he arrived to attend the hearing in Melbourne.
Griffiths is apparently working on a potential new defamation program and has told other interested observers that he has come to the court for research purposes.
He was sitting in the second row taking notes, even briefly taking off his shoes at one point, and displaying a very plain demeanor.
However, it wasn’t all that plain as he left the courthouse with Cate Sayers and his lawyer and was photographed by a waiting photographer and film crew.
Monday’s case centered on the application of Luke Sayers, who was not in court, to move the defamation lawsuit filed against him by his ex-wife to federal court, where the trial would be held in front of a judge, not a jury.
Cate Sayers is suing her ex-husband for libel, claiming he falsely accused her of sharing a photo of his penis on her X account in January 2025.
So what was Griffiths doing there? CBD’s sources say he’s working on a drama project, speaking quietly as you can tell in the middle of a lawsuit. Slander.
He will take part in productions and serve as a producer. The project has been developed and its script has been written for two years. The show is fictional and is not based on any real-life events (including the Sayers imbroglio).
Griffiths, who had apparently never met Cate Sayers until Monday, will play a libel lawyer in the series.
He was in court to reflect on the court process and “get in the mood” for it.
We expect Griffiths to be appearing regularly in the Melbourne court precinct in the coming months as he continues to delve into the legal world for his character and the series.
Meanwhile, two of Luke and Cate Sayers’ four daughters have once again voiced their support for their father.
Bronte Sayers shared a picture of a cake with the words “F— Them All” written on it on Instagram.
messenger of the sun Later, in an article shared on Instagram by Brontë’s sister, Claudia Sayers, the following statements were made about the “explosive cake message”: “Thank you, Dad, for always being in our corner.”
In a statement earlier this year, Claudia and Brontë said they were sorry the saga was being played out in public and would prefer to do so to avoid going to court.
“We see that this dispute takes place within a long and complex family history, and that past events are told very differently. We stand behind our father and his stance, based on what we have experienced and what we have experienced,” they said.
“If necessary, we will present evidence to support my father’s defense, but we still hope that it will not come to this.”
Fax of the subject
Apparently the leader of Parliament Darren Chester He had no idea his office was still charging taxpayers for the fax machine. At least that’s what we came to believe when we asked about last week’s bizarre $455 fax reveal. MP spending data.
Fax machine expense revealed As one of the interesting accusations It is revealed in data published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenditure Authority, among a host of other esoteric items, including Coalition MP Scott Buchholz And Bob Katter 50 percent of Katter’s Australia Party spends more than $50,000 on flags.
When we reached Chester to ask what he used his fax machine for, he said he hadn’t sent a fax in about 15 years and the connection had been lost.
“Given that I was first elected in 2008, I can only assume that the fax machine was part of the original office layout. When I took office we were sending media releases via fax, but today it is clearly an unnecessary technology,” he said.
“Most people contact my office by phone, email or social media, so I have arranged for the fax line to be disconnected as soon as possible.”
Last week’s data dump covered the March quarter, which includes the two biggest dates for the local flag market: Australia Day and Anzac Day. The biggest polyester patriots in Parliament, at least by our count, were Buchholz, who spent $27,761 on flags this term, followed by Katter, who spent $23,239 on flags of his own.
Katter did not get back to us regarding the expenses. But Buchholz confirmed our thesis: Australia Day, the start of the school year and Anzac Day meant the Queensland MP needed to restock. He told CBD through a spokesperson that he “does not apologize for supporting and promoting the Australian flag” in his community.
Michelle Obama and her life lessons hit the city
Former First Lady of America Michelle Obama blows his whistle Australia speaking tour In Melbourne on Tuesday, he’ll tell fans how they can find strength, purpose and hope in uncertain times – or so the blurb goes.
It looks like a pretty high mountain that can be climbed in just 90 minutes.
Obama described as a “global advocate” and “one of the most iconic, inspirational and compelling women of our time,” the tour information site says, will appear in two 90-minute “Conversations” events at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and interestingly tickets for both are still available.
Platinum tickets, $895 each, will get you a front-row seat, snacks and a copy of Obama’s book The Light We Carryand a photo was taken with him, as well as $445 premium tickets.
But a check on the ticketing website Monday showed that seats in the $395, $195 and $145 (restricted view) categories were still available for the 12:30 p.m. show, and seats in the $245 and $195 categories were still available for the 7:30 p.m. show. ABC ID Annabel Crabb hosts both Melbourne events. Unfortunately, CBD cannot be part of the fun; It is a media-free zone.
The Faculty for Growth, which brought Obama to Australia, said in a statement: “The Faculty for Growth is pleased with the progress in ticket sales and looks forward to welcoming attendees to its Melbourne events this week.”
After Melbourne, he’ll take his words of wisdom to Sydney for a sold-out show on Wednesday and another show at the TikTok Entertainment Center on Thursday. Australian Story presenter Leigh Sales Sydney hosts events.
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Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
John Buckley is the CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
