PRESS RELEASE ON ALLA GILLER
Ms Giller fought for nearly 12 years for her share of property from her de facto
partner, damages for assault and for breach of her privacy.
She has been supported by a team of lawyers who believed in her cause and the need
for a change in the law. In the process the right to privacy has been reviewed and
clarified and the role of homemaker and parent quantified in a way that will assist
other litigants and legal practitioners in the future.
What people fail to understand is the time and effort that lawyers put in to cases
like these on a no win no fee basis. There is plenty of criticism of lawyers generally
and here is a case where for nearly 12 years solicitors and barristers have fought
to change the law, defend a person’s right to privacy and ensure that the role of
the homemaker and parent is properly quantified in de facto law cases.
Ms Giller has spent 12 years fighting for her right to privacy and in seeking justice
she now finds herself front page news. This is not the sort of news that a very
private person wishes to read. If Ms Giller knew that her name would become front
page news she would never have issued proceedings.
Unfortunately the very thing she has fought so long and hard for is now the very
thing she has lost. She is not a movie star or a public figure she is a mother going
about working and raising her family.
In my view the media and the Supreme Court have let her down by exposing her name
to the general public in a matter that revolves around her right to privacy. What
is not right is the disparity between the Family Court of Australia and the Supreme
Court of Victoria when it comes to respecting the privacy of litigants and protecting
them and their families from public scrutiny. The Family Court would never allow
the names of the parties to be released to the public and that should be a principle
that is also applied in the Victorian Courts in these types of cases.
If your paper had any shred of decency and cared about people then it would apologise
to Ms Giller and stop using her name. It is appropriate to talk about the principles
and the changes in the law but not about the individuals involved. Please respect
her privacy.
PETER CAREW
ACCREDITED SPECIALIST FAMILY LAW
CAREW COUNSEL PTY LTD
SOLICITORS FOR MS GILLER
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