Warren Tredrea argues Channel 9 had no grounds to terminate his contract as mandatory vaccination direction was ’not reasonable’
The AFL great has launched legal action against Channel 9 for breach of contract after he was sacked for refusing to get the Covid jab.
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Former AFL great Warren Tredrea is suing Channel 9 after his refusal to get the Covid vaccine saw him axed by the broadcaster.
Tredrea, 43, has launched legal action in the Federal Court for breach of contract against Nine South Australia after his exit from the station in January 2022.
The action is listed as between Tredder Investments Pty Ltd as trustee for Warren Tredrea Trust and Channel 9 South Australia Pty Ltd.
Tredrea, a former Port Adelaide Football Club captain and AFL Hall of Fame inductee, is named as the second applicant and described in court documents as being famous for playing AFL football.
“He is popularly regarded as one of the, if not the, Club’s greatest player in the AFL,” the documents note.
Tredrea was halfway through a two year, $192,500 per year, deal with Nine when he publicly stepped away from his sports presenting role in Adelaide in December 2021 over the vaccine standoff.
In mid-October 2021 Nine SA gave a direction to staff that to enter the workplace from December 1, 2021 they needed to be fully vaccinated and provide a digital certificate to prove their status.
Nine extended the time for Tredrea to be jabbed until early January 2022. But he refused and was axed by Nine on January 4 this year.
It was a condition of his contact that Tredrea comply with “all reasonable directions” of Nine.
But he is arguing Nine had no grounds to terminate his contract as the mandatory vaccination direction was “not reasonable.”
Tredrea also claims his vaccination status did not amount to serious misconduct nor did he behave in a way that could cause damage to the reputation or business of his employer.
Tredrea alleges his dismissal cost him $176,458.32 plus GST, that being the value of the remaining term of his contract, and the loss of the opportunity to renew his deal with Nine beyond November 30, 2022.
He is seeking damages for breach of contract.
Tredrea’s statement of claim argues Nine could have put in place a raft of measures Nine such as RAT testing, requiring unvaccinated employees to wear a face mask, social distancing and improved ventilation to accommodate unvaccinated workers.
He also argues an unvaccinated person who contracted the Delta or Omicron Covid variant was a similar risk of transmitting the virus as someone who had the vaccine and that the risk of serious illness or mortality to other employees was low.
The documents contain claims there was an increased risk of certain medical conditions associated with the use of the AstraZenca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Both Tredrea and Nine declined to comment.
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