Tuesday June 27 2023
AFL DECISION WELCOME BUT OVERDUE SAYS CABLE VICTIM
Today’s AFL decision to evict disgraced footballer Barry Cable from the AFL Hall of Fame and remove his Legend status is nearly a quarter of a century too late, according to ZYX, the woman who successfully sued him in the WA District Court.
Her lawyer, Michael Magazanik, a partner with Rightside Legal, says he is mystified that it has taken the AFL until today to express any compassion for the five women who told the court in February how Cable abused them as children.
“The AFL has now followed other organisations who have withdrawn Cable’s honours but neither the AFL nor the North Melbourne and Perth clubs have offered any support to these women. The AFL has known for months that one of its coaches molested children while coaching.
“Despite the increasing role of women in the leadership of the AFL and its teams, they are sending a terrible message to the women who follow AFL football.”
STATEMENT BY ZYX
“Today’s decision by the AFL is nearly a quarter of a century late as far as I am concerned.
“If the WA Director of Public Prosecutions had charged Cable on the police evidence presented in 1999, he would not have enjoyed another 25 years of fame and respect.
“For decades I and the other women he preyed upon as children have had to deal with the damage and trauma he caused.
“Meanwhile he has been honoured and promoted throughout sport and the wider community.
“He was never a Legend. He was a paedophile and a liar who bullied and abused children.”
Contact:
Michael Magazanik, partner, Rightside Legal 0403 367 608
Andrew Taylor 0411 156 797
About us:
RIGHTSIDE LEGAL
Rightside Legal has unique expertise in litigating child abuse cases in Australia despite the challenges presented by institutions and churches, and the passing of time.
In recent years Rightside Legal has set legal precedents: winning the first trial for a survivor of sexual abuse in Western Australia; the first trial win against the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne; and the first cases in Western Australia and Victoria to overturn previous settlements in sexual abuse cases. After decades of being denied justice, survivors are now being properly supported late in their lives.
Rightside Legal has also set records, with multi-million dollar settlements for former students in private and government schools and orphanages.
Not all cases set records, not every case is a first, but every case matters.