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Wallabies staffer in spider lawsuit before ARU job

The former Wallabies staffer in the middle of the Kurtley Beale saga is no stranger to workplace controversy, after it was reported she once tried to sue a former employer for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Di Patston, who resigned from her Wallabies post last Friday following a verbal altercation on a plane with Beale, made a legal claim for more than $500,000 after claiming she was bitten by a spider while working for the Maroochy Shire Council.

The documents lodged with the Queensland Supreme Court state Patston was working for the council on the Sunshine Coast in 2003 when the incident allegedly took place.

Patston made the claim that five years after being bitten by the spider at work she had suffered major depressive episodes and panic and lymphoedema, a condition where parts of the body become swollen.

Related: McKenzie feeling the pressure

Her lawyers claimed the bite was a result of a breach of duty of care from her employer at the time and she was seeking damages of $71,000 for past economic loss and future loss of $472,940 and over $100,00 in future medical expenses.

While this kind of case on its own is not without precedent it does directly contrast with Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie’s statement that Patston had previously been working for the Queensland government for 13 years.

The ARU had been asked to defend her credentials after the incident citing a resume from a Di Patston on LinkedIn saying she worked for the Federal Midconduct Commission and had completed three degrees.

Fairfax Media could find no such office as the Federal Misconduct Commission and no universities had a record of anyone by that name completing degrees there in the years listed.

Related: McKenzie philosophical about future

The ARU says that someone other than Patston incorrectly wrote the LinkedIn profile.

They will however provide no further comment on her credentials citing the fact she no longer works for the Wallabies.

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has been in damage control over the Kurtley Beale saga. Pic: Getty
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has been in damage control over the Kurtley Beale saga. Pic: Getty

"Di Patston is no longer an employee of the Australian Rugby Union, after resigning and leaving the organisation on Friday 10 October 2014, due to stress relating to recent events," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

"We won't be making any further comment in relation to her employment at the Australian Rugby Union, as she is now a former employee.”

However McKenzie had previously said Patston was hired because of her qualifications, saying she had worked for the Queensland government for 13 years in an auditing capacity before coming to work for Queensland Reds in 2012.

The ARU has also refused to comment since on their due diligence during the hiring process.

As far as Patston’s case against her former employer and the spider bite goes, the matter appeared to be settled in 2010 out of court.