Panthers star Tyrone May to settle lawsuit with six-figure payout

Penrith playmaker Tyrone May has reached a settlement with the woman at the centre of the sex-tape scandal that will result in the victim receiving a six-figure payout.

The woman, who asked not to be named, filed defamation and breach of privacy claims after an explicit video filmed in 2018 was disseminated without her consent. The video was widely circulated and appeared on several pornographic websites. Several people known to the woman identified her after seeing the vision.

Lawyers acting for the parties reached an in-principle agreement to resolve the matter on Thursday night and the Supreme Court was made aware of the development at a directions hearing on Friday. While the details have not been disclosed, the Herald has been told the settlement will reach the six-figure mark once damages and costs have been calculated.

May narrowly avoided jail after pleading guilty to four counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent. The matter appeared finalised at Parramatta Local Court in January 2020 when Magistrate Robyn Denes sentenced May to 300 hours of community service for an offence she described as “reprehensible” and “right on the cusp of a custodial sentence”.

However, the Herald revealed in March that the victim would file a civil damages suit that has been resolved just as May’s legal team was scheduled to submit its statement of defence to the court.

Panthers star Tyrone May has reached a settlement in the sex tape scandal.Credit:NRL Photos

The statement of claim read: “It was the natural and probable result of the defendant’s publication ... that the intentionally recorded intimate images would be republished to others by the Facebook messenger service and placed upon the internet or pornographic websites.

“By reason whereof the plaintiff has been greatly injured in her character and credit and in her personal, business and professional reputation and has brought into public hatred, ridicule and contempt.”

As a result of the ordeal, it is claimed the woman has suffered psychological injury, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It was reasonably foreseeable to a person in the position of the defendant that if the intentionally recorded intimate images fell into the power, possession, control or custody of another person, were not kept in a secure environment and/or became public in any way the disclosure of them could cause the plaintiff injury and/or harm, including personal injury,” the statement of claim said.

May was one of the first players suspended under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy after he was charged by police in March 2019. During May’s sentencing in 2020, Magistrate Denes chided the Penrith utility for not entering a guilty plea earlier in proceedings and questioned whether the footballer had shown an appropriate level of contrition.

May’s barrister, Richard Pontello, SC, pointed to a text message his client had sent to one of the victims once the video became public.

“Oh f--k, so sorry,” the text read. “I hope you are okay. I will try to keep you in the loop from my end. Thank you for being such a legend.”

The Panthers later conceded the fallout from the sex tape scandal played a significant role in their poor performance that season as they missed the top eight.

After being fined a quarter of his 2019 salary by the NRL and completing a year-long suspension, May returned to the field in round eight of 2020 and was part of Penrith’s storied run to the grand final. He has made 15 NRL appearances for the club this season and has been named at halfback, in place of the injured Nathan Cleary, for Sunday’s clash with the Warriors.

Adrian Proszenko is the Chief Rugby League Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald.

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