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The trial for the longstanding class action lawsuit concerning the “legality” of strip searches conducted by the NSW Police at music festivals commences today (5 May) in the Supreme Court of NSW.
After a lengthy battle to bring this case to fruition, the hearing for the significant class action against the NSW Police concerning the “lawfulness” of strip searches conducted at music festivals from July 2016 to 2022 will commence today (5 May).
The class action, led by Slater & Gordon Lawyers and the Redfern Legal Centre (RLC), will be heard by Justice Dina Yehia in the Supreme Court of NSW, with the hearing anticipated to run for several days.
In July 2022, Slater & Gordon and RCL jointly launched the class action on behalf of lead plaintiff Raya Meredith, who alleges that she was subjected to an “unlawful” strip search by the NSW Police while attending Splendour in the Grass festival in July 2018.
Since that initial filing, this class action has been filed on behalf of hundreds of other claimants who “allege their strip searches by police between 2016 and 2022 constituted unlawful acts, including assault, battery, and false imprisonment”.
The NSW Supreme Court set the trial date for the commencement of the class action on 17 May 2024. However, the state government initially attempted to persuade the NSW Supreme Court to dismiss the class action, arguing that “there were insufficient common issues between all the people who were subjected to strip searches”, but its motion was unsuccessful.
Redfern Legal Centre’s supervising solicitor, Sam Lee, described the case going to trial as an “important step in holding NSW Police accountable for the degrading strip searches that thousands of festival goers were subjected to”.
Lee emphasised that for numerous decades, individuals have endured experiences of “humiliat[ion], intimidat[ion], and often left traumatised” as a result of undergoing strip searches, “with police officers abusing their powers”.
The purpose of this class action, Lee explained, “is about securing justice for those individuals and ending these invasive and unlawful practices”.
“This isn’t just about music festivals – it’s about everyone’s rights and the need for police to follow the law. Strip searches should never have been allowed to become routine practice,” Lee said.
Practice group leader of class actions at Slater & Gordon, Rory Walsh, revealed that the “lawfulness” of the strip searches that the NSW Police conducted “will be the focus of evidence”.
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