- Titus Day attended court on Monday
- He spent more than $1 million fighting accusations that he defrauded a celebrity client.
The former manager of Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian spent more than $1 million fighting to overturn his convictions for defrauding his famous client, a court has been told.
Titus Emanuel Day was jailed for at least two and a half years in November 2022 after a jury found him guilty of 34 fraud-related charges, including misappropriation of more than $620,000.
He successfully overturned his convictions on appeal last year and will face a new trial in May 2025.
The Stars coach has continued to deny the accusations against him.
Mr Day’s lawyers have made an application to delay his retrial until the Director of Public Prosecutions has compensated him for the legal costs he incurred during the initial trial and appeal.
His lawyer, Thomas Woods, told the New South Wales District Court on Monday that the prosecution had previously agreed to negotiate after admitting it would have to pay some of Mr Day’s costs.
“That negotiation has not been fruitful,” he said.
He managed inaugural Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian (pictured with wife Jules) for eight years until 2015.
The court was told the prosecution made an offer to Mr Day on Monday morning but it was not accepted.
Woods said the initial trial and appeal cost his client more than $1 million, but he was only asking to recover $1,093,240.44.
Crown prosecutor Katrina Mackenzie told the court that the prosecution had offered to pay Day just under $300,000 in compensation.
He maintained that “the amount sought has been changing continuously” throughout the negotiation process.
Mackenzie asked for more time to consider the new costs bill brought forward by Mr Day’s legal team for “a huge amount of money that will ultimately be paid for by the public purse”.
The most recent total submitted to prosecutors included “charges for the defendant’s civil matters” and other unrelated costs, Mackenzie said.
The court was told Mr Day had changed representation during his protracted legal battle, complicating financial analysis.
Titus Day attended court Monday with his attorney Thomas Woods and attorney Lauren MacDougall.
Woods maintained it was “very important” that the dispute over costs be resolved before addressing any element of Mr Day’s upcoming legal battle.
“From my client’s perspective, unless appropriate costs are paid, he will not be in a position to defend himself at trial next year,” he said.
The parties will return to court later this week to argue whether Judge Mark Williams should order a temporary stay of Mr. Day’s retrial until costs have been paid.
The allegations arise from the years-long professional relationship between Mr. Day and Mr. Sebastian.
Day became Sebastian’s manager in 2009, six years after the musician rose to fame by winning the inaugural season of Australian Idol.
Titus Day and Guy Sebastian were close friends when they worked together
The pair became close friends, but that ended eight years later when they had a bitter fight.
Sebastián claimed that he had found anomalies in his financial records, which he blamed on his then manager.
He launched legal proceedings against Mr Day to recover money he claimed was owed to him.
Day responded with a countersuit alleging that the award-winning musician owed him money.
Both men have continued to deny the allegations against them.
