Brittany Groth, the wife of Victorian Liberals deputy leader Sam Groth, defended the timing of her relationship with Sam against allegations by the Herald Sun. The couple plans to take legal action against News Corp and a Victorian Labor minister regarding these allegations. On Wednesday, their legal team sent a defamation concerns notice to the Herald Sun. They claim two articles and social media posts by the publication were a serious invasion of Brittany’s privacy and harmful to Sam’s reputation. The articles suggested that Liberal colleagues raised concerns about the couple’s relationship, which could be exploited by political opponents. However, Brittany disputed these claims, stating they were based on false information.
Brittany mentioned she was in a relationship with someone else when she first met Sam in September 2011 and that Sam resumed his professional tennis career a month later. She criticized the Herald Sun for speculating about her personal life and claimed the publication never tried to contact her. She also alleged the publication allowed defamatory comments about her family to go unaddressed. Brittany expressed that she will not let her family be dehumanized for headlines. The couple’s lawyers also wrote to the health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, asking her to apologize for her comments about the Groths’ relationship.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, and opposition leader, Brad Battin, criticized the articles. Allan reiterated that families should be off-limits from these types of public scrutiny. The couple may take legal action if the articles and posts are not removed and an apology is not issued by the Herald Sun.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/31/sam-groth-wife-brittany-defends-relationship-legal-action-threat-ntwnfb
