Bingle lawyers return serve to AFL boss

Lara Bingle's legal team have hit back at the AFL, saying the league would not
accept their original complaint over the Brendan Fevola photo saga.
On Friday AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou publicly accused Bingle's lawyers of
being uncooperative while also taking a swipe at her agent Max Markson.
Having already spoken to Fevola over the infamous nude photograph, Demetriou said
the AFL had "made several requests to interview Ms Bingle but they haven't agreed to
those requests, that's their prerogative.
"I'm not sure why they wouldn't want to."
But law firm Kennedys, who are representing Bingle, released a statement in response
late on Saturday attacking the AFL.
"She is not the one under investigation and she made her complaint publicly and
clearly this week in a national women's magazine," the statement, which was released
in point form, read.
"Further, since the AFL refused to accept her public complaint, we made the
complaint on her behalf to the AFL.
"We became very concerned when the AFL would not even accept the complaint we made
on her behalf before they proceeded with their investigation."
The release went on to state that the firm had sent two statutory declarations on
Saturday before, curiously, demanding the AFL release the two declarations - plus
any correspondence with Fevola.
"Since the AFL wants to conduct their investigation in public, we now call on the
AFL to release to the public those statutory declarations, Brendan Fevola's
statement and the email correspondence with us since they started their so-called
'investigation'," it read.
"Lara Bingle did not take the photo, did not keep it, did not circulate it and did
not publicise it - and in these circumstances the AFL still demanded that she make
herself available to a tape recorded interview by their investigator.
"It is not surprising that we have acted to protect Lara from this interrogation by
the AFL when she has been subjected to two weeks of one of the most disgraceful and
unprecedented attacks on character in this country.
"It was completely insensitive and oppressive for the AFL to pursue her in this
manner at this time."
The statement also said the AFL had "a clear conflict of interest" and the
investigation of Fevola should be referred to an independent body or person,
"preferably a woman, such as a judge or senior counsel".
Bingle's lawyers then ended their statement by saying: "Finally, we are not seeking
publicity by this media release.
"This is intended to be a response to the publicity sought by the AFL for its
investigation. It is intended to address serious matters that needed to be said for
the record."