Footy great Warren Tredrea loses $6million Covid vaccine legal battle with Channel Nine
- Ex-Port star lost $192,500-a-year job
- Refused to comply with Covid mandates
- Claimed damages for lost wages
A lawsuit brought by AFL great Warren Tredrea against former employer Channel Nine for firing him when he refused to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates has been dismissed.
The former Port Adelaide forward claimed the broadcaster unfairly terminated his $192,500-a-year contract as a South Australian sports presenter in January 2022 because he refused to get the vaccination.
Tredrea argued that Nine’s directive to require staff to be vaccinated was unreasonable because the virus posed a low risk of disease, the vaccine was not particularly effective and posed health risks to recipients.
He sought nearly $6 million in damages for lost wages.
Judge Geoffrey Kennett dismissed Tredrea’s application at a Federal Court hearing on Thursday, agreeing with Nine’s claim that the company was entitled to terminate his contract to protect itself from reputational damage.
Tredrea (pictured outside court in Adelaide) lost his $192,500-a-year job at Nine after refusing to take the Covid vaccine
The former Port Adelaide star argued the vaccine posed a health risk to everyone who received it, but the judge saw things differently
“The evidence does not show that the decision to terminate the services agreement was anything other than a reasonable decision in the sense of a bona fide attempt to protect the legitimate interests of Channel Nine,” Judge Kennett wrote in his ruling.
As an employer, Nine had an interest in its employees being able to come to work undisturbed and meeting the “wishes and concerns of the large majority of the working population, who wanted the people with whom they had contact to be vaccinated,” according to the judgment. .
Judge Kennett found that Tredrea undermined Nine’s efforts to manage its workforce by refusing to inform his employer of his vaccination status.
He also posed a reputational risk to the company through his outspoken public comments against the Covid vaccine, which were at odds with Nine’s public position.
“Mr Tredrea was a controversial figure who was discussed in other media in a way that was not welcome at Channel Nine,” Judge Kennett said.
“Rather than having the studied neutrality of a newsreader, he became associated in public debate with an unpopular position on an issue that could arouse strong emotions.”
Judge Geoffrey Kennett found that Tredrea’s anti-vaccination stance endangered Nine’s reputation
Tredrea has been ordered to pay Nine’s legal costs, but is allowed to make a claim as to why he should not have to pay them.
Speaking outside his law office in Adelaide, Tredrea said it was a disappointing outcome but flagged a possible appeal.
“We didn’t get the green today, but it may not be over yet,” he told reporters.
‘It has taken a significant (financial) effort to take this on, but we are confident that we believe we are on the right path. If we hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have gone this far.”
Tredrea, who retired as a player in 2010, was Port’s all-time best goalkeeper and sole AFL premiership captain.