Lawyer Adam Houda’s sexual harassment hearing vacated
A high profile Sydney criminal lawyer’s bid to have his former intern’s sexual harassment case against him heard in private has been defeated after a tribunal denied his request.
Police & Courts
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A prominent Sydney criminal lawyer accused of sexually harassing a young female intern at his law firm has failed in his first attempt to have the matter heard in private.
Adam Houda has strenuously denied any wrongdoing since prosecutor Hana Seraphim claimed she was sexually harassed and victimised while she was an intern at his Sydney firm Lawyers Corp.
Mr Houda, 49, is not facing any charges and there is no suggestion he has acted illegally.
Ms Seraphim launched proceedings against Mr Houda under the Anti-Discrimination Act in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, with a three day hearing set to begin on Monday.
But the hearing was vacated after Mr Houda’s efforts to have the proceedings conducted behind closed doors were defeated, following opposition from The Daily Telegraph and Ms Seraphim.
In response to multiple questions outside of court after he lost his application and the hearing was vacated, Mr Houda only said: “free Palestine, free Palestine from Zionist aggression”.
The Telegraph is now aware of certain aspects of Mr Houda’s defence to the proceedings and why he sought for them to be heard in private.
Those details cannot be reported while interim orders preventing their publication remain in place, pending an anticipated appeal against the tribunal’s refusal to conduct the matter in a closed hearing.
A new hearing date is yet to be set for the sexual harassment matter, as any potential appeal against the decision not to close the tribunal to the public must be heard and determined first.
It is agreed Ms Seraphim completed her practical legal training at Mr Houda’s office in a stint beginning in late 2020 while she was studying law and psychology at the University of Wollongong.
Before studying law, she worked legally in the sex industry as an escort and a dancer at Sydney gentlemen’s club Minx.
Ms Seraphim has asked the tribunal to award her damages, order Mr Houda to write her a letter of apology, and for him to undergo a mandatory training course and make a donation to sex worker organisation the Scarlet Alliance.
She also made a complaint against him to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner, which was ultimately dismissed.
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