Tigers' court date looms for Ben Holland
Sunday Herald Sun
James Campbell
October 19, 2008
RICHMOND Football Club and its former president, Clinton Casey, face the Supreme Court after negotiations broke down in a case brought by former Tiger Ben Holland.
The former Richmond and Melbourne player, who retired at the end of this season, is suing the Tigers and Mr Casey for $530,000 - money he claims they offered him to stay at the club but never paid.
Holland began proceedings in the Supreme Court in October 2007, but the case was on hold while the AFL Players' Association tried to resolve the dispute.
Papers were finally delivered on Friday October 3 -- the last day allowed under the Supreme Court's rules.
"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of AFL Players' Association we were unable to resolve the dispute," Holland's lawyer Greg Griffin said.
Holland has alleged in court documents that in 2001 Mr Casey promised him "business and investment opportunities" worth $530,000 -- the difference between the $800,000 Richmond was offering him for a three-year contract and the $1.3 million that Adelaide had offered him to move to their club.
Holland re-signed with Richmond in 2001, but in 2003 the club traded him to Melbourne.
The case could be bad for Richmond because the money Holland is alleging he was promised was outside the AFL's salary cap rules.
Club spokeswoman Judith Donnelly said they would "vigorously contest the allegations".
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