Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo loses $1m compensation claim against Victoria Police

Disgraced criminal lawyer-turned-snitch Nicola Gobbo — known as Lawyer X — has lost her fight for a $1 million payout from the cops, and issued a warning to anybody thinking about becoming an informer.

Nicola Gobbo – aka Lawyer X – has issued a “stark” warning to anyone considering becoming a Victoria Police informer: “You will not be protected”.

The warning comes after Gobbo lost her fight for a $1m payout from the cops on Friday.

Supreme Court Justice Melinda Richards dismissed Gobbo’s claim against the state and Victoria Police for damages over theexposure of her secret life as informer 3838

Justice Richards ruled that there had been no breach of a duty of care to Gobbo because “the risk of exposure was an inherentrisk once she became an informer”.

Gobbo had argued “negligence” and “malfeasance in public office” by numerous high-profile officers, including former VictoriaPolice Chief Commissioner Simon Overland.

Her lawyer, Angela Sdrinis, said there had been no action taken against any of the officers who “benefited” from Gobbo’s “assistance”.

Melbourne lawyer Nicola Gobbo. Picture: Supplied

“Today’s judgement means that Ms Gobbo, and her children, will continue to be punished for her actions whilst others who wereinvolved are able to get on with their lives without consequence,” she said.

Ms Sdrinis said Gobbo had been “abandoned and left to fend for herself” by police in the aftermath of the Lawyer X scandal.

Costs were awarded against Ms Gobbo, who has a new identity, which could run into millions of dollars.

The force will now wind up Taskforce Reset – which has been dedicated to Lawyer X issues – and cut ties with Gobbo.

“Victoria Police is satisfied with the decision of the court,” a statement said.

Gobbo was recruited by Victoria Police in September, 2005 to snitch on her biggest client, Tony Mokbel, and his drug cartel.

Gobbo testified she turned informer after coming under intense pressure from Mokbel to secure bail for an associate, knownunder the pseudonym “Mr Bickley”.

In April, Mokbel was granted bail over the Lawyer X scandal and is still appealing his convictions.

Prior to being recruited as an informer, Gobbo was used by anti-gangland police to “roll” criminals against one another whileshe was acting for them.

This practice continued after her registration as informer 3838.

April 2, 2024 front page.

Feburary 11, 2015 front page.

During the Supreme Court civil trial, Gobbo, 51, admitted discrediting her profession and breaching her duties to her underworldclients.

And she agreed informing on her clients was the “antithesis” of acting in their best interests.

The former barrister has been in hiding since her secret life began to unravel.

The high-profile lawyer, who had social relationships with her clients, snitched on on a who’s who of gangland figures, includingCarl Wiliams, Rob Karam, Faruk Orman and Mick Gatto.

In 2009, Gobbo was deregistered as an informer to become a witness in a murder trial.

In 2010, she sued the force and received $2.88m over her dealings with them in a secret settlement.

The scandal was exposed by the Herald Sun in 2014, who dubbed the police spy as Lawyer X, but did not name her.

Victoria Police sparked an urgent court hearing on the night the story was being published in order to suppress details ofthe scandal.

But although Gobbo’s name was suppressed, the story set in motion a series of investigations and court cases which ended inthe High Court of Australia in 2018.

In a decision in which it ruled against Victoria Police, the High Court described Gobbo’s actions as “fundamental and appallingbreaches” of her obligations to her clients and her duties to the court.

The High Court also considered Victoria Police “guilty of reprehensible conduct” in “sanctioning atrocious breaches of thesworn duty of every police officer.”.

A royal commission into the scandal admonished both Victoria Police and Gobbo for undermining the Victorian justice system.

Gobbo is considering appealing the ruling.

Originally published as Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo loses $1m compensation claim against Victoria Police