Jennifer Cruz Cole says life ‘destroyed’ by court battle with Ultra Tunes tycoon Sean Buckley

The ex-partner of Ultra Tune tycoon Sean Buckley says she feels her life has been “destroyed” while she drains her savings in a civil court battle with the millionaire.

THE ex-partner of Ultra Tune franchise tycoon Sean Buckley feels life is in “limbo” while she drains her savings in a civil court battle with the millionaire over secret recordings she made.

Bikini model and elective surgery nurse Jennifer Cruz Cole says her only comfort – after racking up six figures in legal fees so far – is everyone else is in lockdown “limbo” at the same time.

The Melbourne-based Canadian 34-year-old says: “Honestly if we weren’t in lockdown, I’d feel I was missing out on life so much.

“But because we are in lockdown, we can’t go out at night so it’s not like I’m missing out on Friday or Saturday night. You literally can’t go out. You can’t even go to the gym.”

She has been locked in a Supreme Court battle since the start of the year with Gold Coast-based Mr Buckley who is seeking a court order to have secret mobile phone recordings she made of them destroyed.

Ms Cole, who looks after their three-year-old daughter, lost their most recent legal skirmish, pleading guilty to contempt for texting a secret recording to other parties. She had been ordered not to share the recording in the earlier civil proceeding brought by Mr Buckley as part of a desperate bid to permanently suppress the audio. She was fined $500.

In a candid interview this week, Ms Cole revealed:

- she was working multiple jobs to help pay her escalating legal bills and support herself and their daughter;

- she struggled psychologically from being allegedly attacked in her Melbourne home mid-last year by someone who has since been charged. The alleged attack emerged in the contempt judgment of Justice Andrew Keogh but it does not identify the assailant. The assailant was not Mr Buckley;

- she had relocated to a new home but didn’t want it known where;

- she was single but doubted many men would be interested “in this mess right now”;

Jennifer Cole with Sean Buckley.

“I’m just living off my savings. I’ve literally spent all my savings. I had to do the move, pay for rent $990 a week, I pay for everything for (our daughter),” she said, adding she would have to pay Mr Buckley’s court costs – about $17,000 – after she pleaded guilty to contempt.

“I understand court now and the Supreme Court and how it works. But it’s frustrating, so much back and forth and it’s just dragging out, any little thing,” Ms Cole said. “Sean has a team. And there is me with my budget.

“It’s pretty stressful. This has destroyed my life since this whole (court) thing has happened, I’m living in limbo, I can’t get away. It’s awful I’ve been portrayed like I tried to extort money.”

Asked what a more accurate reflection would be, she said: “I’m funny. I’m odd but I have a twisted sense of humour.

“Quite debaucherous but I can’t sound too wild. I’m a bit of a rule bender.”

She’s working several days a week for a cosmetic surgery firm and also doing short-term stints at work sites in Melbourne conducting rapid antigen tests for Covid.

Ms Cole says she has been living off her savings.

Ms Cole said her only respite from court and financial woes was walking through Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens, throwing American and Aussie Rules footballs.

“I actually have been. That’s the most fun thing to do in Melbourne right now – walk around the ‘botan’ and throw an American football.

“I’m learning also with the Aussie Rules one, learning running with it and bouncing it. Before lockdown I bought those balls, and a basketball. I bought every single ball there is. I’m very good at playing with balls you could say – that sounds really bad,” he said.

“It would be really great to have someone to play ball with – maybe you could find me a boyfriend? Does anyone want to throw balls with me? I’m not even joking. You can’t play catch by yourself.”

Asked how she felt the rest of her court saga would play out, she said: “This whole thing could be made into a Netflix series. Even the behind the scenes stuff that is going on. For me it’s been a horrible Netflix series – it’s got to have a good ending.”

In an initial Supreme Court skirmish in February, lawyer John Searle, for Mr Buckley, told the court the secret tape recordings were made without his client’s consent and public release would put Mr Buckley’s reputation “in significant peril” and cause “extraordinary economic loss”.

A separate lawyer for Mr Buckley has previously said the multi-millionaire has nothing to “fear” on the recordings and believed they had been “cut and spliced”.

Zoe Davis, for Ms Cole, told the court at the time the recordings were subject to a criminal investigation: “My client was subject to a violent, violent attack in part of these recordings.” Mr Buckley has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

Ms Cole and Mr Buckley were an item from 2017 until last year when they had lived at Crown in Melbourne where one of the recordings at the centre of the court action was made.

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Originally published as Jennifer Cruz Cole says life ‘destroyed’ by court battle with Ultra Tunes tycoon Sean Buckley