More than 100,000 people have been invited to take part in a landmark class action lawsuit arising from controversial strip searches at several music festivals in New South Wales. Lawyers Weekly reports.
The lawsuit was jointly filed in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in July 2022 by Redfern Legal Centre and Slater and Gordon Lawyers, whose representatives are challenging the legality of body searches carried out by NSW law enforcement officers at festivals between 2016 and 2022.
According to a press release issued at the time by the Redfern Law Centre, police carried out “unlawful acts, including assault, battery and false imprisonment against festival-goers while searching them for illicit substances,” including minors. Some attendees, according to the firm, claimed officers ordered them to “lift or remove clothing, lift their breasts or genitals, or strip and squat and cough so officers could visually search body cavities.”
Lead complainant Raya Meredith has claimed she was subjected to an “invasive” strip search by NSW police during the 2018 Splendour in the Grass music festival. The torture lasted for approximately 30 minutes, she told Redfern Legal Centre.
“Our investigations show that invasive and unlawful police searches at NSW festivals have become routine, resulting in very few charges but leaving thousands of young people and minors humiliated and severely traumatised,” Redfern police accountability lead lawyer Samantha Lee said.
Legal representatives for the New South Wales government unsuccessfully filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, citing insufficient common problems among those who were strip-searched, according to Australasian Lawyer.
“The police are supposed to be there to keep people safe, but I was left feeling like I could no longer trust the police,” said one attendee, Becca, according to Slater and Gordon's website. “I felt like I had no way to lodge a complaint about an experience that made me feel violated.”
“I was asked to remove my jacket and shirt and was patted down,” explained another, Ben. “The officer also ran his thumb along the inside of the waistband of my boxers; his thumb was between my boxers and my skin. I did what I was told at the time, but thinking about it now makes me feel very uncomfortable.”
The law firms in charge of the prosecution have encouraged potential plaintiffs to record for the class action and evaluate your eligibility through a group member guide. He rehearsal It is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
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