Woman in Tim Paine ‘sexting’ scandal has bid to file harassment declare dismissed

The girl concerned in a ‘sexting’ scandal with former Australia take a look at captain Tim Paine had her bid to lodge a sexual harassment declare in opposition to Cricket Tasmania dismissed on Thursday after a court docket rejected her rationalization for the delay in submitting the case.

Renee Ferguson, 47, had missed the deadline to file her case in opposition to her former employer by nearly three years and was in search of an extension of time within the Federal Court.

Ferguson, who labored as a receptionist at Cricket Tasmania (CT), alleged she was sexually harassed by Paine and CT workers throughout 2015-17.

Paine denied any wrongdoing and was investigated and cleared by Cricket Australia’s integrity unit in 2018 over lewd textual content messages he despatched to Ferguson.

CT and the staff additionally denied the allegations.

Ferguson complained of sexual harassment to the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2018 however the criticism was terminated in November of that yr.

She had till January 2019 to make an software to the Federal Court with out requiring prior approval however failed to take action till November 2021, Justice Mordy Bromberg mentioned in notes launched by the court docket.

Ferguson had attributed her delay in submitting the case to a fast deterioration in her “mental and physical health as well as her economic stability”.

However, Bromberg mentioned Ferguson had failed to offer an enough rationalization for the delay.

“I am not satisfied that it is in the interests of the administration of justice to permit Ms Ferguson to make her very late application,” he wrote.

“Conscious of the significant media attention which has been given to this proceeding, I seek to emphasise that my decision is not a vindication of either Ms Ferguson or TCA’s (Cricket Tasmania) version of events.”

Paine stepped down from the captaincy final November and took a break from cricket after the ‘sexting’ affair turned identified to the general public.

In a separate matter, Ferguson has been accused of stealing cash from Cricket Tasmania throughout her employment there and can face a court docket listening to in February.