Rebel Sport owner faces escalating legal threat

2 weeks ago 9

The committee of Rebel Sport owner, Super Retail Group, is facing an escalating situation arsenic Harmers Lawyers says much existent and erstwhile employees person approached it astir a imaginable suit amid allegations of an undisclosed narration involving the group’s boss, Anthony Heraghty, arsenic good arsenic governance issues and bullying claims.

Since Super Retail’s Friday disclosure that it faced a $50 cardinal suit by 2 employees implicit allegations of bullying, victimisation and adverse treatment, Harmers said it “had been approached by a fig of contiguous Super Retail employees precise acrophobic astir important governance issues”.

Super Retail Group main enforcement Anthony Heraghty.

Super Retail besides owns Supercheap Auto, Macpac and BCF.

Harmers said it was acting for 4 clients who are whistleblowers against Super Retail arsenic defined by the Corporations Act. The ineligible steadfast said it had been approached by much existent and ex-employees with akin concerns and that immoderate enactment would widen to Heraghty personally arsenic main executive.

“Super Retail is good alert that this is not a ‘shakedown’, but a justifiable ineligible assertion for damages, being deliberately misrepresented,” it said.

“We are assured that different existent and erstwhile SRG unit volition enactment our clients’ claims.”

On Monday, Harmers revealed that a 3rd party, not associated with the retail group, had besides approached it “with cardinal grounds astir the antecedently undisclosed idiosyncratic narration betwixt Heraghty and his erstwhile nonstop report, and Super Retail’s erstwhile main quality assets serviceman Jane Kelly.”

According to the lawyers, the retailer denied immoderate narration betwixt the 2 arsenic precocious arsenic this month.

“When Harmers pointed retired that it had wide impervious of an intimate relationship, and frankincense a important unreported struggle of interest, Super Retail’s presumption instantly shifted,” Harmers said.

“As of past Friday, Super Retail revealed to definite of its unit that a narration does present beryllium betwixt Mr Heraghty and Ms Kelly – but Super Retail present alleges lone from January 2024. However, adjacent from that date, specified a narration carried important conflicts of interest.”

Harmers said 1 of its clients made a whistleblower ailment past November via the retail group’s interior process, referring to the narration betwixt Heraghty and Kelly and its interaction connected governance issues.

According to the instrumentality firm, the ailment was removed from the integrity serviceman and the caput of hazard and handed to an HR manager who reported straight to Kelly.

Super Retail has been approached for comment.

‘None of the allegations are substantiated’

On Friday, the radical told the ASX that its committee had conducted an independently advised probe into the suggestions of an undisclosed narration and bullying and concluded that “none of the allegations are substantiated.”

Super Retail said it would support immoderate tribunal proceedings successful via its lawyers from Allens.“As these matters are expected to beryllium the taxable of litigation, the radical does not mean to marque immoderate further remark astatine this time,” it said.

“The radical volition update the marketplace connected this substance arsenic appropriate.”

Any ineligible enactment from Harmers is expected to beryllium delayed portion the instrumentality steadfast reviews the caller accusation it has received.

Harmers criticised Super Retail’s Friday statement, saying it amounted to victimisation of the whistleblowers and had caused them further damage.

“One of our clients has supplied Super Retail with a draught of a projected Statement of Claim. That papers raises a scope of superior governance and behaviour issues wrong Super Retail. The papers has been selectively misrepresented successful Friday’s ASX announcement by Super Retail,” Harmers said.

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