Exes to go to war in court over alleged defamation campaign

An IT consultant and his ex will face off in court over allegations she waged a four-year campaign to destroy his reputation.

Constantine Arvanitis will face off with his ex and mother of his child in court over alleged defamation claims.

A banking IT consultant and his ex-girlfriend will face off in court on Monday over allegations she waged an almost four year-long campaign to destroy his reputation and poison his new fiancee and her affluent family against him.

Constantine Arvanitis is suing his former partner Selina Holder for defamation after she, along with two other women, allegedly penned a letter to Mr Arvanitis’ new fiancee warning her against the “dangerous and violent and sex addict (sic)”.

Mr Arvanitis claims the typed letter – which was allegedly delivered by hand to his new partner Melanie Thornton’s home – damaged his reputation and attempted to destroy the couple’s relationship.

In the January 2018 letter, Ms Holder and two other women Mr Arvanitis had casual relationships with between late 2015 and mid-2016, claimed they were the “sisterhood” and trying to help the woman.

“We have tried to speak to you to warn you about Con so many times … He goes to Sydney and cheats on you. He will beat you up,” the letter allegedly read.

“We want to warn you. We are the sisterhood. We have to expose him,” it continued.

Mr Arvanitis claims Ms Holder has “waged a campaign” against him since the breakdown of their relationship in May 2015.

Ms Holder, who shares a child with Mr Arvanitis after meeting on a dating app in 2012, is also accused of defaming the former ANZ consultant by distributing legal documents which he claims labelled him – among other things – a liar, drug addict, stalker and thief.

Ms Holder allegedly forwarded the defamatory material to Ms Thornton’s sister, leading breast cancer surgeon Dr Chantel Thornton and husband, luxury car dealer Srecko Lorbek.

Court documents revealed the move damaged Mr Arvanitis’ relationship with his high-powered brother and sister in law “beyond repair” and family functions were now celebrated separately.

His relationship with Ms Thornton’s parents is now “awkward” and he suffers humiliation every time he sees them, the documents claim.

Mr Arvanitis is seeking damages claiming the saga has caused his promising career to stall and he now suffers emotional distress, anguish and social anxiety.

Ms Holder denies sending the letter, but if the court finds she did, will rely on a truth defence.

An eight day judge-alone trial will begin in the County Court on Monday before Judge Julie Clayton, who is the head of the court’s defamation list.

The trial is expected run for eight days and will be held in open court despite Mr Arvanitis’ fighting to have the matter heard in secret and his name be suppressed.

The closed court application and pseudonym order were both rejected by Judge Clayton.

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