Sacked journalist Robert Ovadia has sensationally dropped his lawsuit against Channel Seven because the stress on his family is taking too heavy a toll.
The decision to drop his unfair dismissal claim comes after the Seven Network opened a ‘dirty file’ alleging several women had complained about the TV veteran.
In a statement to the Daily Mail Australia, Ovadia’s lawyer John Laxon said: “Robert has advised that he will be suspending legal action for personal reasons.
‘While he strongly denies the allegations of serious misconduct made against him, the emotional and financial cost of taking legal action is something his family can no longer bear.
“And I completely understand your position.”
According to the original statement of claim filed in Federal Court by Ovadia’s attorney, Andrew Gotting, and read in court, Ovadia claims the incidents for which he was allegedly fired in June do not constitute sexual harassment.
“No reasonable employer could have concluded that the conduct constituted sexual harassment; the photograph was not conduct of a sexual nature.”
Seven’s “reasons” for firing Ovadia included several cartoon images of a woman, with the face of a female employee superimposed on them, plus an image of a flaccid penis sent by Ovadia to a man over a story about a man called “Mr. Dick”.
Ovadia hit back at “evil” Seven Network bosses this week after her own daughter asked her a heartbreaking question in the wake of her sudden sacking.
Sacked journalist Robert Ovadia has sensationally dropped his lawsuit against Seven Network
Seven’s own lawyer told the Federal Court last week that “even if they (Seven) did not have a basis for principally terminating the applicant’s employment at the time, the conduct that subsequently came to light does provide a basis.”
Last week in the Federal Court, Seven alleged that “13 further women” had made allegations against the former star reporter.
Ovadia responded on social media, posting on Instagram that the devastating allegations had been propaganda concocted by “evil” TV bosses.
He said he had received a chilling death threat and that the claim had prompted Ovadia’s teenage daughter to ask her father if people would now think her “father is a rapist.”
On Tuesday, Ovadia, 51, posted that he was now prepared for more dirty accusations in the increasingly bitter feud.
“I expect more defamation in the coming months as this evil company (in whose service I risked my life and safety many times) now seeks to further destroy my reputation,” he added.
The death threat, from a man who posts images of guns on his Instagram page, read: “Hey tiña. When do you want to be brutally murdered?”
Sacked Seven reporter Robert Ovadia received a death threat and a heartbreaking question
Robert Ovadia called the Seven network “evil” in his post on social media
Ovadia said she had also received numerous messages of support since Seven came forward with the new allegations.
The Walkley Award-winning journalist has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct on his part during his 23-year career at Seven.
Posting a series of the messages received, she added: ‘Feel free to scroll through some recent interactions with women I have worked with in Seven’s Propaganda Unit.
“I can be rude, I can be gruff, I can be nasty, my humor is dark… 20 years surrounded by trauma and danger can have all that.
“But I do NOT abuse women. At least the Four Corners smear team got one thing right: the Seven network is evil.”
Ovadia was fired in June over two image exchanges in the Seven newsroom and filed a claim in the Federal Court for unfair dismissal.
Her now-abandoned lawsuit against Seven Network and Seven West Media news editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie was due to have another file management meeting next week.
Since last week’s presentation, Ovadia has posted messages of support she said she has received.
A former colleague posted: ‘All the girls I worked with loved your playful side… your big, sassy girl side, never knowing what to expect except that it was going to be fun and that made it a little easier to all interact in that way.
‘There would be long, depressing nights without him. You’re the furthest thing from an abuser or something. This whole thing is so incomprehensible.
“We don’t want you to have to feel like you can’t be yourself as a result of such ridiculous accusations. It’s incredibly unfair.”
Fired reporter Robert Ovadia received a death threat and was asked a heartbreaking question by his own teenage daughter in the wake of his firing.
Supporters of Ovadia have emerged since the former veteran reporter filed a wrongful dismissal claim against Seven and its boss Anthony de Ceglie (above)
In another comment posted to Ovadia, a male supporter wrote: ‘I put you in the same category as your former colleague Chris Reason in that you are a seasoned professional.
“Like many others, I don’t believe the stories circulating about you. Keep fighting and hopefully you will emerge victorious.”
When Seven fired the veteran Sydney reporter, the network said it would conduct an internal investigation into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.
Ovadia was initially accused of creating edited photographs and a caricature of a woman, “Person A,” and sending them to that person, an act that did not constitute sexual harassment, according to his statement of claim to the court.
Two of the cartoon images of a woman depicting a colleague are dismissed by the reporter as part of reporters’ exchanges in the Seven newsroom.
The death threat sent to Ovadia by a social media user who has multiple images of guns, cash and luxury cars on his own Instagram page