Scott Pendlebury legal dispute with former manager Jason Sourasis, Digi Mart USA News (Victoria, Australia): Star AFL player Scott Pendlebury’s legal fight with his former manager over allegedly pilfering $3 million will continue throughout the 2027 season. The new Gold Coast Suns recruit now faces a lengthy legal battle in the Supreme Court of Victoria against leading sporting agent Jason Sourasis while playing his first season with the club.
In a short hearing on Friday, lawyers for Pendlebury told the court they were concerned that Sourasis’ legal team had not properly outlined the full list of documents in his possession relating to the management of Pendlebury’s affairs. They also said Sourasis’ financial planning group, Strategic Financial Planning, had not declared any documents in its possession following similar requests.
The court heard that the Sourasis parties deny there was any retainer agreement between the planning firm and Pendlebury, a claim Pendlebury’s lawyers said was incorrect. Counsel for Pendlebury, Banjo McLachlan, told the court that Pendlebury had recently found documents in his email, including correspondence with Strategic Financial thanking him for being a customer and regarding a change of his individual financial planner.
The emails also included updates about his superannuation balance, McLachlan said.
The dispute between the legal teams has already caused delays, and a trial date has yet to be set. The two-time Collingwood premiership player transferred to the Gold Coast Suns late last year on a four-year hybrid contract under which he will play before moving into a coaching role.
The move followed Pendlebury setting a record for the most senior AFL games during his 21 seasons with Collingwood.
Neither Pendlebury nor Sourasis attended court on Friday, which is common in case planning hearings. Pendlebury is currently holidaying in America, touring NBA facilities during his off-season, before relocating with his family to Queensland.
Pendlebury launched legal action against Sourasis last year, alleging his longtime friend and business partner misappropriated $3 million of his money and invested it in Sourasis’ projects. He alleges Sourasis took the money without his permission or knowledge across 70 transactions between 2015 and 2023, and that Sourasis’ financial planning group had a duty to act in his best interests.
A large portion of Pendlebury’s money was allegedly invested in Sourasis’ development of a sporting super hub in Tarneit, which was to be the home of the now-defunct A-League team Western United. Sourasis also allegedly directed large sums of Pendlebury’s money to a development project in Seaford, where the land has since been seized and sold by receivers.
Sourasis, the former president of Western United, has denied the allegations and insists that Pendlebury was fully aware of the transactions. As part of his defence, Sourasis’ lawyers produced text messages between the two former close friends that they said indicated Pendlebury knew about the transactions.
