The former Carlton Football Club president has filed a defence in his estranged wife's defamation case, claiming she took documents from his phone and arguing he acted throughout to shield his family from emotional distress.
Luke Sayers claims in a defence filed to the Victorian Supreme Court that he has always acted to protect his family from emotional distress. The filing represents his first substantive response to the defamation action brought by Cate Sayers, his estranged wife, who is suing for defamation in Victoria's Supreme Court.
The lawsuit centres on a statutory declaration written by Mr Sayers, which accused Mrs Sayers of accessing his X account, posting a photograph of her husband's genitalia in January 2025 and tagging a female executive at Bupa. The document was sworn by Mr Sayers in the weeks after the controversial post, which was quickly deleted, as the AFL and Carlton conducted investigations because he claimed he was not responsible and his X account had been compromised.
However, Mrs Sayers has alleged her husband "shamelessly" published false information about her in the statutory declaration and blamed her for the post, according to new court filings. She said the document contained private and false information about her sexual and medical history, mental health, private relationships and engagement with law enforcement.
The AFL's investigation ultimately vindicated Sayers' claim. The integrity unit eventually found his account had been compromised and cleared him of breaching AFL rules. Yet the fallout was severe. Sayers stepped down from his role as Carlton president on January 22, 2025, after 12 years with the club, and also announced he would step back as chairman of his Sayers Group consultancy.
The consequences extended to his marriage. It was revealed in April that Cate Sayers had left her husband. A friend of the family told NewsCorp that Cate, described as a "strong person, but also a realist," left to prioritise protecting their children.
Cate Sayers' claim argues that her husband's sworn statement was deliberately constructed to damage her standing. Mrs Sayers further alleged the document requested police and/or the AFL not to interview her, which had removed any opportunity for her to respond to the allegations. Mrs Sayers is seeking exemplary damages from her husband, as she claimed to have been "shunned and avoided" by people she knows in the AFL, Carlton, and others who knew the couple, ever since.
The defamation case raises complex questions about the boundaries between self-defence and inflicting reputational harm on a spouse. Sayers maintains his actions were protective; his wife contends they were calculated to discredit her. Both positions rest on competing understandings of family privacy and public accountability. The court will ultimately decide which interpretation the evidence supports.