Western Bulldogs Ordered to Pay $2.9M to Abuse Survivor After Appeal Ruling

Court reduces record $5.9M jury payout to Adam Kneale but upholds club's liability for historic child abuse by a volunteer.

The Victorian Court of Appeal reduced Adam Kneale's damages from $5.9 million to approximately $2.9 million, including interest, after reviewing the jury's original award.
The court upheld the Western Bulldogs' liability for abuse Kneale suffered as a child in the 1980s by volunteer Graeme Hobbs, rejecting most of the club's appeal claims.
The $850,000 awarded for pain and suffering remains the highest such figure in Australian legal history for a sexual abuse survivor.
The court found the original jury's calculations for pain and suffering and loss of earnings to be excessive, reducing them significantly.
The Western Bulldogs must pay 70% of the appeal costs, with Kneale's legal team calling the ruling a landmark victory for abuse survivors.