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Gold Coast Crime: Nurse sues partner’s sister for defamation after being accused of abusing eight-year-old girl

A Gold Coast nurse is suing her partner’s sister for allegedly telling her work, police and family that the nurse sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl.

Australia's Court System

A GOLD Coast nurse is suing her partner’s sister for allegedly telling her work, police and family that the nurse sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl.

The nurse, who cannot be named in order to protect the girl, wants her partner’s sister to pay $105,000 in damages for making what she says are false accusations.

The nurse claims in court documents lodged in the Southport District Court that in September last year the woman told the nurse’s co-workers that she had sexually abused the woman’s eight-year-old daughter.

The woman is also accused of saying the same thing to police, the nurse’s partner and the woman’s family.

The nurse claims in the court documents that the woman knew the allegations about sexual assault were untrue.

She also alleges the statements made meant others would think she was being investigated by police and was “predatory and preys on children, including children left in her care”.

“Those meanings were defamatory of (the nurse) and were likely to cause the people to who they were published to shun and avoid (the nurse), to lower their estimation of the character of (the nurse) and to not allow their children to come into proximity with (the nurse),” it is claimed in the court documents.

The nurse claims she suffered “substantial hurt, distress, humiliation and embarrassment” as a result of the allegations and was also “brought into hatred, ridicule and contempt”.

It is also claimed in the court documents that the allegations made it difficult for the nurse to take care of her father who is suffering from lung cancer.

The nurse claims she was concerned the allegations would spread.

It is alleged the woman refused to apologise to the nurse, retract the allegations or take any steps to repair the damage done to the nurse’s reputation.

The nurse is claiming $70,000 for the damage done to her reputation and $35,000 for the hurt caused.

The woman is yet to respond.

lea.emery@news.com.au

Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/gold-coast-crime-nurse-sues-partners-sister-for-defamation-after-being-accused-of-abusing-eightyearold-girl/news-story/85c8c03ad709704c1a939158f7719a25