Moira Deeming launches lawsuit against Victorian Liberal president as party meets to decide her future
A Liberal MP, Moira Deeming, has filed a legal action against Victorian Liberal party state president Brian Loughnane hours before a meeting to decide her candidacy. The action follows her allegation that former leader Matthew Guy assaulted her, which police found unsubstantiated.
Victoria Liberal MP Moira Deeming has launched a last-minute legal challenge against the party's state president, Brian Loughnane, just hours before a crucial executive meeting to determine her future as a candidate in the upcoming state election. The case is scheduled to be heard in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday morning. The party executive, including Loughnane, is set to meet on Friday evening to decide Deeming's candidacy.
The legal action stems from an incident at a gala dinner on May 23, where Deeming alleged that former Liberal leader Matthew Guy grabbed her in a "violent" headlock. Deeming filed a complaint with Victoria Police, but the investigation concluded that no offence had been detected. Guy has demanded a public apology, stating that CCTV footage clearly shows he did not assault her. Deeming has since said she misunderstood the meaning of "headlock" but has refused to apologize.
Deeming has been invited to the state executive meeting to present her side, but it is unclear if she will attend. Opposition leader Jess Wilson declined to comment on the process but stated that Guy's reputation has been harmed and that she has directly asked Deeming to apologize. "I think he deserves an apology," Wilson said. "That is the right thing to do, and Moira has decided that's not the case."
Pauline Hanson has also weighed in, declaring she would not offer Deeming a position in One Nation, criticizing her refusal to apologize. Monash University political scientist Zareh Ghazarian described the scandal as another example of disunity and disorganization within the party, calling for a swift resolution ahead of the November 28 election.
Deeming's lawyer, Tim Houweling, maintained that his client's complaint was made honestly and as a last resort, arguing that the physical contact from Guy was unexpected, unwelcome, and painful. He noted that Deeming had successfully sued former leader John Pesutto for defamation earlier over incorrect claims linking her to neo-Nazis.
