Scott Pendlebury’s legal fight with former manager Jason Sourasis over an alleged £3 million misappropriation will continue into the AFL star’s first season with the Gold Coast Suns in 2027.
The Supreme Court of Victoria has yet to set a trial date, meaning Pendlebury faces preparing for a lengthy case against the leading sporting agent while beginning his transition from player to coach at the Queensland club.
At a short court hearing on Friday, lawyers for Pendlebury raised concerns that Sourasis’s legal team had not fully identified all documents in his possession relating to the footballer’s affairs.
They also said Strategic Financial Planning, Sourasis’s financial planning business, had failed to disclose whether it held relevant documents. The Sourasis parties deny there was a retainer agreement between the firm and Pendlebury, a position Pendlebury’s lawyers disputed.
Banjo McLachlan, representing Pendlebury, told Justice Patricia Matthews that his client had recently found further material in his email account.
“Mr Pendlebury recently unearthed some documents in his email,” Mr McLachlan said as he handed several emails to the court.
The correspondence included messages thanking Pendlebury for being a customer of Strategic Financial Planning, information about a change of individual financial planner and updates concerning his superannuation balance, the court heard.
The dispute between the legal teams has already contributed to delays in the proceedings, with no date yet fixed for the trial.
Pendlebury alleges that Sourasis, a former close friend and business associate, took about $3 million of his money without his knowledge or permission through roughly 70 transactions between 2015 and 2023. He also claims the financial planning business was obliged to act in his best interests.
According to the allegations, a substantial amount was invested in Sourasis’s failed proposal for a sporting super hub at Tarneit, which was intended to be the home of the now-defunct A-League club Western United. Other funds were allegedly directed towards a development at Seaford, where the land was later seized and sold by receivers.
Sourasis, who was formerly president of Western United, denies the claims and maintains that Pendlebury knew about the transactions. His lawyers have produced text messages which they say show the former friends discussed the payments.
Pendlebury, a two-time Collingwood premiership player, moved to the Gold Coast on a four-year hybrid contract after setting a record for senior AFL appearances during his final season with the Melbourne club. He is currently holidaying in the United States, visiting NBA facilities before moving to Queensland with his family.
