Dan Andrews has filed his defence against the legal action by the teenage cyclist seriously injured in a crash with the ex-Victorian premier’s car.
Ryan Meuleman is suing Andrews and his wife, alleging online trolls labelled him a ‘grifter’ after the couple’s media statement in September 2024 said a review into the collision was the result of ‘appalling conspiracy theories’.
Andrews was Victorian opposition leader when the Ford Territory SUV carrying him, his wife, and their three children collided with Ryan, then 15, while he was cycling in the seaside town of Blairgowrie on January 7, 2013.
Andrews told police his wife Catherine was driving and had come to a ‘complete stop’ before she ‘turned right from a stationary position’ when the teen hit the car’s side.
Ryan, now 27, was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries including a punctured lung, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding.
Andrews managed to file his defence to the Federal Court of Australia just before the deadline, which was the close of business on Tuesday.
He had previously been given a deadline of December 19, but was granted an extension due to his medical problems.
A hearing scheduled for Tuesday was also adjourned until next month, with the hearing expected to be livestreamed.
According to a Federal Court statement of claim seen by the Daily Mail, Mr Meuleman ‘continues to suffer pain from the injuries he sustained as a result of the collision’.
He also ‘continues to suffer from significant symptoms of depression, anxiety and traumatisation’, the document states.
The documents claim the Andrews ‘impliedly admitted’ via their lawyers that their press release comments were in response to a media article which highlighted a review of the collision by Raymond Shuey, the former Assistant Commissioner for Traffic Operations.
Dr Shuey reviewed the collision and made a report for Mr Meuleman’s 2023 Supreme Court legal battle against his former law firm Slater and Gordon, which he alleged had failed to act in his best interest.
‘This so-called report was commissioned by lawyers on behalf of their clients [sic] who are seeking money through the courts by suing their former lawyers,’ the Andrews’ statement read.
‘We are not a party to this legal action. We did nothing wrong. This matter has already been comprehensively and independently investigated and closed by Victoria Police and integrity agencies.
‘We will not dignify these appalling conspiracy theories by commenting further at this time.’
Mr Meuleman, whose Slater and Gordon dispute was settled for an undisclosed amount, claimed the Andrews accused him of ‘lying about the facts and circumstances of the collision’.
Mr Meuleman also alleged he was defamed because he ‘sought to use legal proceedings to obtain money based on his false claims about the collision’.
He alleges the Andrews’ statement suggests he has ‘sought to rely on a specious report from Dr Shuey to gain a financial advantage to which he is not entitled’.
Mr Meuleman also states he ‘did not have a reputation for being dishonest and/or grifting and/or abusing the Court’s processes’.
It was also claimed that Mr Meuleman has a ‘lesser media profile’ and is ‘less articulate and more vulnerable’ than the Andrews.
Mr Meuleman also highlighted Dr Shuey died after conducting the review and claimed he cannot ‘properly defend himself’ from ‘such a brutal and defamatory attack’.
CRE: DAILYMAIL