Melbourne Demons board members and former president Glen Bartlett enter peace talks

There’s hope the long-running war between Glen Bartlett and the current Melbourne board could now be settled out of court – but Andrew Demetriou won’t be involved in any resolution.

Melbourne Football Club board members have initiated peace talks with former president Glen Bartlett.

Mediation between the warring parties has been held in Perth amid hope an out-of-court settlement can bring an end to the long-running dispute.

A Federal Court hearing was deferred last week because of the discussions.

Bartlett is suing four Demons directors, including current president Kate Roffey, for misleading and deceptive conduct and defamation in relation to his sudden resignation in April 2021.

The mediation was conducted by a retired judge.

It can be revealed an initial plan for ex-AFL boss Andrew Demetriou to oversee the peace talks was flatly rejected by lawyers for the Roffey camp.

Melbourne president Kate Roffey. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Former president Glen Bartlett is suing four Demons directors, including Roffey. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media

Bartlett’s legal team nominated Demetriou as a potential private mediator earlier this year, but the former league supremo was deemed an inappropriate choice by Melbourne because of his history as a director at Crown Resorts.

Demetriou, who played a key role in the appointment of Bartlett as Demons president in August 2013, resigned from the Crown Resorts board in February 2021 in the wake of a scathing report by the New South Wales gaming authority.

Two of the four Melbourne board members being sued by Bartlett – Steve Morris and Mohan Jesudason – stood down this year in line with club “term limits”.

WorkSafe Victoria launched its own probe into the boardroom dispute in August.

Melbourne has engaged some of Australia’s top lawyers in the Bartlett war led by Matthew Collins KC and commercial litigator Janet Whiting from law firm Gilbert + Tobin.

Court documents show the Melbourne directors have already piled up more than $413,000 in legal fees.

The plan for ex-AFL boss Andrew Demetriou to oversee the peace talks was flatly rejected by the Roffey camp. Picture: David Caird

Bartlett shifted the court fight from the Supreme Court of Western Australia to the Federal Court after lawyers for the directors were successful in an application to move the original proceeding to the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Demons CEO Gary Pert told a members’ forum last week the club had a “very strong and aligned culture”.

“There’ve been some quite high-profile player incidents in the off-season,” Pert said. “I want to reassure all Melbourne members and supporters ... the culture of the Melbourne FC is very strong and very resilient.”

Melbourne will stage its annual general meeting on Tuesday evening.

The club has engaged another King’s Counsel, Michael Borsky, who acted for Crown Resorts in the Finkelstein Royal Commission, in a separate Federal Court fight with Demons board challenger Peter Lawrence.

Lawrence is seeking court orders for more open and transparent club elections.