Shock twist in Seven star reporter Robert Ovadia’s ‘sex pest row’ – as scandal spreads to rival channels amid startling fresh allegations

EXCLUSIVE

Seven’s biggest rivals have been caught up in the grim ‘sex bullying’ scandal surrounding the sacked top crime reporter, with new allegations emerging about his alleged ‘inappropriate behaviour’.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that the network has been in contact with women from both Nine and the ABC following complaints about their previous interactions with Walkley Award-winning journalist Robert Ovadia.

It is believed their concerns relate to conversations they are said to have had with Ovadia during their reporting on the news events in Sydney.

“This is no longer just a Channel Seven issue,” a source familiar with the matter told Daily Mail Australia. “This is now (reportedly) an industry-wide issue.”

It is not known whether any of the women complained about the interactions at the time or raised their concerns with supervisors within their own network.

Ovadia has repeatedly and emphatically denied any misconduct or inappropriate behavior during his award-winning 23-year career at Seven.

This comes after sources report that Seven has unearthed a number of allegedly incriminating historical texts and email comments made by its former reporter during his time at the network.

The messages came to light after an extensive internal audit of all previous communications by the veteran reporter following his shock firing in June.

According to sources close to the investigation, the married 51-year-old is said to have made a number of “inappropriate comments” in the correspondence about young female colleagues.

It is believed that the talks took place several years ago and that no concerns had ever been raised about the talks before.

His lawyer, John Laxon, told Daily Mail Australia they were not aware of the latest allegations because Seven had repeatedly refused to provide them with details of the allegations against the controversial reporter.

“I am appalled that Seven would make these allegations when they are not true,” Laxon said.

The shocking developments come after Daily Mail Australia revealed last week that Seven was determined to draw a line and take it to court with Ovadia after he filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the network.

Seven was initially open to settling with its former employee, but changed its mind after a months-long internal audit it said revealed repeated instances of inappropriate behavior.

Ovadia was fired by Seven on June 21 following an internal investigation into his conduct, prompted by questions from ABC’s flagship program, Four Corners.

Investigative journalist Louise Milligan from the series had asked Seven about a series of email and text message exchanges between Ovadia and a young female producer.

The messages allegedly contained cartoon images showing the junior employee as a pole dancer, Ovadia as a sculpted Spartan warrior and the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.

Questions were also raised about an “inappropriate” image Ovadia allegedly sent to a male colleague of a flaccid penis he had downloaded from the Internet.

The interaction arose after the male colleague asked for a photo of a man named “Dick” for an upcoming story.

Ovadia filed a lawsuit against Seven on August 9, claiming the network had breached the terms of his contract and saw no reason to fire him.

He also alleged that the network’s new news director, Anthony De Ceglie, deliberately made statements that were “intended to disparage, insult and hurt him.”

Seven defends both allegations.

Seven’s lawyer, Vanja Bulut, told the federal court last Thursday that 13 more women had filed complaints about Ovadia since his dismissal.

“After the applicant was discharged, another 13 women came forward. The applicant was made aware of this,” Ms Bulut told Judge Elizabeth Raper.

‘My client has written a letter detailing the additional allegations that have come to light. Those documents have been provided to the applicant.

‘Even if they (Seven) had no basis at the time to primarily terminate the employment contract with the applicant, the conduct that later came to light does provide a basis.’

According to Ovadia’s attorney Andrew Gotting, his client had received some of the material, but many details had been omitted.

Seven reportedly made the extensive redactions to protect the privacy of complainants.

The courtroom drama arose after the Fair Work Commission failed to resolve the dispute through mediation six weeks earlier in July.

An attempt to resolve the matter via a video call between the parties quickly failed, as Seven refused to participate in further sessions.

Ovadia, who did not attend the hearing, claimed the allegations against him were part of a plot to “bully” him into dropping his case against his former television employer.

“The allegations are baseless and Seven has never provided any evidence despite repeated requests,” he said last Thursday.

“Even today in court there was no evidence to support this. It was just a dirty tactic to prevent me from defending myself.”

The television industry has long been plagued by accusations that the careers of female employees are often determined by the opinions of high-ranking male colleagues rather than by their professional qualities.

Nine’s former director of news and current affairs John Westacott was accused of saying female reporters should be “fuckable” during a 2008 wrongful dismissal lawsuit brought against the network by reporter Christin Spiteri.

“To make it in this industry you have to be fuckable. To make it in this game, women have to be fuckable,” the late Nine News boss is said to have said.

The scandal emerged after the sector was rocked by a series of serious complaints about bullying, intimidation and an appalling work culture.

In May, Nine Network chief executive Mike Sneesby announced an independent investigation into the culture of the newsroom.

While Nine was initially expected to release its findings next month, it now appears certain the investigation will continue into the new year.

The delay is reportedly the result of an unexpected flood of bullying and harassment complaints from former and current Nine employees about some of the network’s sitting senior managers.

The ABC is also reviewing the culture within its newsroom after an internal investigation in June found widespread allegations of bullying and sexual harassment within the national broadcaster.

Meanwhile, Ten last week reached a private settlement with former political reporter Tegan George, who alleged she was a victim of severe trauma after covering the deadly 2019-2020 NSW bushfires.