The former president of the Carlton Football Club, Luke Sayers, issued a formal apology to his ex‑wife, Cate Sayers, after their defamation case over a lewd photograph was settled. Lawyers for Sayers read the apology in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday, acknowledging the extreme hurt caused by suggesting Cate had posted or may have posted the photo.
The apology, delivered by barrister Sandip Mukerjea, stated that Sayers accepted Cate had not done so and apologized unreservedly for any suggestion otherwise. The statement was read following the settlement of the case, which the court dismissed.
Cate Sayers had claimed that Sayers had defamed her in a statutory declaration that accused her of accessing his X account, posting a photograph of his genitals in January 2025 and tagging a female executive at Bupa. The document was sworn in the weeks after the post was deleted, and investigations were conducted by the AFL and Carlton. In May, Sayers applied to move the case to the federal circuit and family court for a private hearing, but Justice Andrew Watson rejected the application in June, ruling that the Supreme Court was the appropriate venue.
The judge commended both parties for reaching a settlement, noting that all litigation involves time, expense and risk. Cate Sayers accepted the apology and said the settlement closed a painful chapter, adding that the outcome would give others the strength to stand up for the truth. Sayers, who chaired the Carlton board from 2021 to 2025 and previously led PwC Australia, has not confirmed whether the settlement included a monetary component.
