Supreme Court Justice Gregory Geason in hot water over nightclub kiss
A late night kiss between a married Judge and his Associate in a Hobart nightclub has led to him being counselled by the state’s most senior legal authority. FULL INVESTIGATION >>
Tasmania
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A TASMANIAN judge has been investigated after he was seen kissing his female Associate in a Hobart nightclub.
Justice Gregory Geason, who is married with children, was at the Grand Poobah following the Law Society of Tasmania’s “Opening of the Legal Year” dinner.
A number of members of the legal community were also at the club.
ANALYSIS: Did Justice Geason break the rules?
Justice Geason was witnessed by several of those in attendance who say they were alarmed to see him kissing his Associate in public.
Judges are expected to comply with a set of guidelines that state they should “exercise discretion in personal relationships”.
A statement from the Supreme Court confirmed on Thursday that while no official complaint had been made, it was aware of the incident.
Justice Geason had been counselled and the Associate, who cannot be named for privacy reasons, has been provided support. There is no suggestion of inappropriate conduct on the part of the Associate.
“Concerns have been expressed to the Chief Justice about a judge’s conduct involving a staff member,” the statement read.
“The inappropriate conduct involved close personal contact that occurred at a social occasion on 29 January.”
“The staff member has been provided with information as to all options and offered support.”
The Supreme Court said representations were received from a number of legal professional organisations and legal practitioners.
The Supreme Court also confirmed Chief Justice Alan Blow has counselled the judge in relation to the allegations concerning his behaviour stating further steps may be taken “depending on what he considers appropriate”.
Arrangements are being made to have Justice Geason return to Hobart after a criminal trial in Burnie.
The statement suggested the incident was fleeting.
“There is no evidence of the present or past existence of an intimate relationship,” it read.
“The existence of such a relationship would ordinarily be regarded as extremely inappropriate.”
The scandal has been the talk of the Tasmanian legal fraternity for days since the January 29 event.
Sources who spoke to the Mercury on condition of anonymity said they were appalled by the judge’s behaviour.
They confirmed the incident was widely known and talked about within Tasmanian law circles, and was “condemned” by most of whom were aware.
Other insiders said while it was a kiss between two consenting adults that didn’t amount to sexual harassment, it was entirely “inappropriate.”
The Law Society of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Bar Association released a joint statement stating they passed on members’ concerns to the court and were “satisfied we are being heard.”
The Grand Poobah is a popular late-night bar in Hobart’s CBD. It operates until 4-4.30am on Friday and Saturday nights and the bar’s social media describes its lounge bar as a “kissing room”.
Justice Geason, who was the best man at former premier Will Hodgman’s wedding, was appointed to his position in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in November 2017.
After he was admitted to practice in 1987, he worked as a Crown Prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions before joining the private profession. He worked in the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the court and in the Federal Court of Australia and the Australian Industrial Commission.
During his time in Tasmania, Justice Geason has been a member of the Teaching and Learning Committee of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tasmania.
He held the position of President of the Law Society of Tasmania in 2012 and 2013 as well as chairing its Continuing Professional Development Committee.
He has also chaired the Parole Board of Tasmania and the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal.
Justice Geason spoke of his appointment during his swearing in ceremony in 2017.
“The court will have before it the unfortunate and the fortunate, the powerful and the weak, the strong and the broken,” he said.
“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations of me.
“Today is not really about me, but this position. These are not the robes of an important person — for I am not — but the robes of an important role.”
Close friend and premier at the time Mr Hodgman removed himself from decision-making related to Justice Geason’s appointment, instead delegating authority to the Justice Minister. He was present and spoke at the swearing in.
“(His) breadth of experience and skills is evident … (and) you are both widely liked and respected by the profession,” Mr Hodgman said.
Justice Geason and the Associate declined to comment.
If you would like to contact the Mercury regarding this issue, please call (03) 6230 0701 during business hours or email jack.evans@news.com.au
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