Channel Nine will be exposed to a potential class action by Don Burke’s accusers after claims the network turned a blind eye to women’s complaints about the TV star.
Channel Nine was the home of Don Burke’s hit TV show Burke’s Backyard, which ran for 17 years on the station before it was axed in 2004.
The Nine Network launched an internal investigation after Burke was accused of sexually harassing, indecently assaulting and bullying female colleagues over a number of years.
Burke was accused of sexually harassing, indecently assaulting and bullying female colleagues over a number of years
In claims published by the ABC and Fairfax on Monday, a number of Burke’s accusers said they went to the Nine Network with complaints about the presenter but were ignored.
One reporter claimed Burke interrupted an interview to tell her she would be a ‘demon f***’ before making vile comments about a younger female relative.
‘I was sort of asking the other reasons that he decided to make the country change, and he said one of the reasons was he wanted to get horses because he had a [younger] female relative – i’ll put it that way – who he liked to watch rub her c*** on its back,’ she told the ABC.
‘I felt really physically sick.’
She allegedly went to the Nine Network with the footage, but she sent a bunch of flowers the next day and the complaint was forgotten.
One reporter claimed Burke interrupted an interview to tell her she would be a ‘demon f***’ before making vile comments about a younger female relative
Former chief executives at Nine, David Leckie and Sam Chisholm, described Burke as a ‘horrible, horrible man’ and a ‘terrible grub’ after the allegations surfaced on Monday.
Shine Lawyers defamation special council Roger Singh told The Australian lawyers were on standby as media companies faced significant damages payouts.
Mr Singh said a sexual harassment group action could seek substantial damages payouts if companies were found to have breached their duty of care to employees who were subject to abuse.
Mr Singh said accusers would need to prove there was a culture at the network which allowed the offender to abuse ‘with impunity’.
Shine Lawyers defamation special council Roger Singh (pictured) said lawyers were on standby as media companies faced significant damages payouts
In response to the allegations, former network CEO Mr Chisholm said people ‘probably did’ come to him with allegations of misconduct about Burke (pictured)
‘You have to be able to demonstrate that there was a breach of duty or care and negligence on the part of the institution … on the basis that it knew, or ought to have known, the propensity of the offender to inflict abuse, but didn’t take appropriate action,’ Mr Singh told The Australian.
In response to the allegations, former network CEO Mr Chisholm said people ‘probably did’ come to him with allegations of misconduct about Burke.
‘Don Burke was a disgrace because of his behaviour internally and externally,’ Mr Chisholm said.
Nine said any allegations of misconduct were the responsibility of Burke’s Backyard production company CTC Productions because it was in charge of employing and managing all staff.