Amber Harrison planned ‘reign of terror’, Seven alleges in court
Amber Harrison, inset, and Seven CEO Tim Worner.
Former Seven West Media employee Amber Harrison allegedly planned a campaign against Tim Worner even before she left the company, declaring “this is now war” and referring to a “reign of terror” in emails to Mr Worner’s assistant.
Seven barrister Andrew Bell SC referred to the 2014 emails in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying Ms Harrison had talked of “finishing, destroying your idiot boss” in one.
Mr Bell said Ms Harrison on May 29 wrote: “I want to know that he’s got it, that he knows I am out to get him. This is now war.”
The same day she wrote that she had “launched a reign of terror unlike that (which) had been felt before”, Mr Bell said.
Ms Harrison made allegations about Mr Worner’s drug use and sue of a company credit card.
On June 11, Ms Harrison wrote she was “powerful now, I just got everything”, perhaps referring, Mr Bell said, to being given unauthorised access to Mr Worner’s emails.
On July 25 in 2014 she wrote “I’m about to blow the roof off you”, according to Mr Bell.
The barrister said Ms Harrison sent the emails before signing a confidentiality deed with Seven.
They showed a “person who is deliberately prepared to engage in deliberate conduct with the maligned intent that these emails manifest”, he said.
Seven wants a temporary gag order — that prohibits Ms Harrison from releasing confidential documents — continued.
The company won the interim injunction last week after Ms Harrison released letters from Mr Worner, now Seven’s chief executive, and other internal documents on Twitter.
Mr Bell said Ms Harrison published on Twitter on February 8 this year a screenshot of an email from the company’s commercial director and senior lawyer to board members about a federal police raid on Seven.
He said the act had been in “flagrant breach” of the confidentiality deed.
Ms Harrison had also breached undertakings not to give media interviews, not to release or authorise any statements and not participate in social media about the company, Mr Bell said.
“Not only have there been breaches of that deed but … we would submit that the breaches have been of a particularly wilful and vindictive character,” he said.
Ms Harrison, a former executive assistant at Seven, had an affair with Mr Worner between 2012 and 2014.
News Corp Australia and Fairfax have become involved in the case and have asked the judge to change or discharge his orders so the outlets can approach Ms Harrison for comment.
Neither Ms Harrison nor Mr Worner was present at the hearing.
– AAP