Melbourne lawyer charged over fake document scandal accused of asking colleague to lie

A glamorous Melbourne lawyer charged over a fake document scandal allegedly told her junior solicitor to “make up a story” to tell a magistrate.

Lawyer Zoe Davis, left, allegedly told her junior solicitor Rachelle Badour-Taha to ‘make up a story’ about why her client couldn’t appear in court. Picture: David Crosling

Glam Melbourne lawyer Zoe Davis allegedly told her junior solicitor to “make up a story” to explain to the magistrate why her client couldn’t appear in court.

The 35-year-old principal from ZD Legal is accused of texting Rachelle Badour-Taha the instructions to lie at Frankston Magistrates Court in hope of getting a warrant recalled when their client, Alana Digby, failed to appear on August 7, 2023.

Ms Badour-Taha, 26, allegedly went on to claim Ms Digby had been involved in a car accident.

But the magistrate refused to recall the warrant unless Ms Digby fronted court in person.

Detective Senior Constable Jamie Shanks told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday he unravelled the shocking conduct when investigating claims the two lawyers were involved in a fake document scandal a month later.

“Ms Davis just said ‘make up a story if she is not there’,” Detective Shanks said, referring to a text exchange between Ms Davis and Ms Badour-Taha about Ms Digby’s case in August 2023.

Ms Davis allegedly said ‘make up a story if she is not there’. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Detective Shanks also revealed from the witness box that Ms Davis and Ms Badour-Taha were both under investigation for further alleged offences.

“There’s another investigation that is underway,” he said, adding that more information had been found on seized devices.

When pressed by Ms Davis’s lawyer, Dermot Dann, how many clients that investigation may involve, the detective said: “I’m unwilling to talk about the current investigation.”

Ms Davis and Ms Badour-Taha have both been charged with perverting the course of justice, attempting to pervert the course of justice and using false documents over the August and September incidents.

On September 26, 2023, Ms Davis is accused of altering a Northpark Private Hospital letter from another pregnant client to claim it was Ms Digby, with Ms Badour-Taha emailing the document to the court to explain their client’s inability to appear.

Detective Shanks said they had initially suspected the lawyers were innocent and that Ms Digby had provided the document.

But he said Ms Davis “lost all credibility” in his eyes when she was avoiding answering questions and assisting in the investigation.

Ms Digby claimed she had no knowledge of the document and has not been charged.

It comes after Leading Senior Constable Adam Green, a prosecutor at the Frankston court when the registrar raised concerns about the hospital document, told the court when he spoke to Ms Davis about it, she began “crying and hyperventilating”.

The case was adjourned for further written submissions, with magistrate Leon Fluxman to rule whether they should stand trial, and on what charges, on July 29.