Prominent Sydney lawyer accused of sexually abusing daughter for 15 years
The daughter of a high-profile Sydney solicitor is suing him for allegedly sexually abusing her as a child.
Jayne Gersbach has accused her father, Rodney Gersbach, of repeatedly raping and physically assaulting her over the course of 15 years, beginning when she was just four years old, Fairfax Media reports.
Mr Gersbach has strongly denied the allegations.
In a claim to the NSW Supreme Court, Ms Gersbach detailed horrific allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, including being raped when she was just eight years old while on a family bushwalk.
The now 32-year-old also says that on one occasion she was forced to perform oral sex on her mother and during another incident, woke up ‘drugged’ in her bedroom and was allegedly raped by her father.
She also claims that up until the age of 11, she was repeatedly belted across her bare buttocks in her parents' bedroom.
Mr Gersbach has accused his daughter of trying to get her hands on her grandfather’s inheritance.
"My daughter found out that I was about to receive an inheritance from my father's estate and she's doing this for the money," he told Fairfax Media.
"The complaint was raised after she had an hallucination while having sex with her boyfriend while on ice.
“She saw my face on the face of her boyfriend. We took her to see a psychologist and the psychologist suggested she may have been the victim of child sex assault.
“She [then] developed this story about child sexual abuse by me,” he said.
Mr Gersbach has been practicing law in Sydney for over 30 years and is highly regarded within legal circles.
Ms Gersbach is seeking aggravated and punitive damages.
The matter will be heard in court in December.
Morning news break – September 14
