Sachi Dade, the partner of former Melbourne star Steven May, is suing the Demons, head coach Steven King, and the club's general manager of football, Alan Richardson.
Documents lodged with the Federal Court show Dade filed a miscellaneous application against the Melbourne Football Club on May 22. A case management hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.
A Demons spokesman said they were aware of the action and expected to make a statement later on Thursday evening. A lawyer from the firm representing Dade declined to comment, as the matter is before the court.
The drama started back in April when the Demons apologised for a pre-season meeting between senior club figures and players' partners. That meeting allegedly disclosed private information about May, a 2021 premiership star and former All-Australian.
Then Demons CEO Paul Guerra, King, and Richardson held a Teams meeting with about 15 partners of the players in February. The call was meant as a way for Guerra and King, new in their roles, and Richardson to introduce themselves while addressing "a matter that impacts the football program."
According to a source with knowledge of the 14-minute call, the meeting was requested by two senior players to address concerns among partners about a police visit to May's home. But officials on the call allegedly went off-script.
Details of the meeting were reported on SEN radio after a person on the call claimed sensitive information about May and Dade's relationship was shared.
"The meeting sought to provide reassurance of the club's commitment to supporting the families as well as the playing group," the Demons said in a statement at the time. "Whilst it wasn't our intent, we acknowledge the meeting has caused distress and for that the club is sorry."
The champion defender had been on personal leave from the club after the police visit. There weren't any charges, and the matter was closed.
The court action comes as the Demons sit fourth on the ladder, having made a bright start under King, who replaced premiership coach Simon Goodwin. But the club has faced off-field scrutiny following the April sacking of Guerra after just seven months in the job.
There's no suggestion Guerra's departure was linked to the May issue. Demons president Steven Smith said at the time: "Basically, there wasn't one particular thing. It was just a general lack of confidence in his ability to lead the club, and a breakdown of relationship with the board."
Stan executive director Dan Taylor has been appointed as the Demons' new CEO. Stan is owned by Nine, the owner of this masthead.
All eyes are on Friday's hearing. It's a messy off-field saga for a club trying to focus on footy — and it's not going away anytime soon.