Liberal MP drops party court bid after ‘headlock’ saga
A Liberal MP in the state has dropped a lawsuit against his own party as he sought to appeal as a last resort to avoid rejection.
Moira Deeming launched an eleventh-hour High Court challenge against Victorian Liberal Party leader Brian Loughnane on July 3 after he made a false assault claim against former leader Matthew Guy.
Ms. Deeming announced late Wednesday that she was withdrawing the lawsuit.
“The injunction fully achieved its purpose,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media.
The MP, who sits in the Western Metropolitan Region’s upper house, is at risk of being rejected as a candidate ahead of state elections in November.
On Wednesday, Ms. Deeming sent a 12-page statement to the party’s state government offering a mediation proposal that would allow it to end the Supreme Court case.
“Having all the evidence before them, the state government can now decide whether to continue with the medication or reconvene to disapprove me,” he said.
“From beginning to end, I proceeded with the matter in good faith, respected the confidentiality of everyone involved, submitted to the party’s instructions and policies, and followed the law rather than taking the matter to the media.
“For my part, I will continue to serve Victorians and fight against Labour.”
Footage obtained by AAP from an event in May showed Mr Guy placing his hand on Ms Deeming’s upper back as they leaned in to talk to each other.
Police reviewed the security cameras and concluded that no crime had been committed.
Ms Deeming had accused her colleague of “violently” subduing her, but has since claimed she misunderstood the meaning of the yoke.
He later explained: “I was abroad and sick when the story broke and I was jetlagged and the confirmation meeting was called, the injunction gave me time to recover, review all the facts, learn the difference between a headlock and a collar-and-tie hold, and collect my thoughts.”
Mr Guy told reporters in June that Ms Deeming owed him a public apology, adding that he vehemently denied anything untoward had occurred.
“Moira Deeming owes me a public apology. You owe me an apology from the prime minister and the attorney general,” he said in front of parliament.
“They can also come to me in an honorable and easy way.”
Liberal Leader Jess Wilson did not comment on Ms Deeming’s future on Wednesday as the matter was “in the courts”.
