Ruyton Girls’ School chases respected psychiatrist for unpaid fees

A respected psychiatrist has been accused of “scandalous accusations” in an ugly school fee fight with Ruyton Girls’ School.

Ruyton Girls' School is chasing a respected psychiatrist for school fees.

A respected psychiatrist is the latest private school parent to be chased through the courts during the Covid pandemic for failing to pay private school fees.

Dr Tom Eimany must now pay Ruyton Girls’ School more than $40,000 for unpaid fees for his daughters, with a judge dismissing his “scandalous accusations” against the Kew school.

He was ordered to pay his half of the fees, irrespective of whether his ex-spouse paid her share.

It comes as dozens of parents are in court over unpaid school fees, with recent bankruptcy actions involving Trinity Grammar, Sirius College, Oakleigh Grammar and King David School.

Sirius College, a low-fee independent school, has brought 35 separate bankruptcy actions in the Federal Court since 2019, with four still ongoing.

Despite assurances that parents would be given leniency due to Covid, schools are continuing to use legal means to get fees paid.

Dr Eimany was sent three notices in February, June and August 2020 for unpaid school fees from the previous year for $31,474, plus interest.

The school commenced proceedings in the magistrates’ court in August 2020.

Sirius College is chasing dozens of bankruptcy actions in court.

Dr Eimany failed to appear at a June 2021 hearing due to technical issues and, in his absence, there was a finding that he was liable to pay the fees chased by the school.

His appeal to the Supreme Court was not accepted this week because it was lodged out of time and there were no reasonable grounds, Associate Judge Matthews ruled.

She ordered Dr Eimany to pay the school more than $40,000, including costs and interest.

Dr Eimany, a South Eastern Private Hospital doctor, was accused by Associate Judge Matthews of making “scandalous accusations”.

His application argued the school had caused emotional harm to his children, breached its duty of care to him, tried to mislead him by quoting non-existing legislation, denied him procedural fairness and refused to produce documents.

Associate Justice Matthews said these claims lacked evidence “or discernible basis”.

Dr Eimany said he was “in agreeance to pay half his children’s school fees” but was concerned the school had not given him details of the payments made by his former spouse on privacy grounds.

Associate Judge Matthews ruled that Dr Eimany’s “liability to pay the fees is not contingent, or in any way conditional, upon whether or not his former spouse has or has not paid her share of the fees”.

The parents were each invoiced separately for their share of the fees.

Dr Eimany said he would appeal again. “This defies all basic legal logic,” he told the Herald Sun.

The school has been contacted for comment.