Alex Wood - 18C of the RDA
Update # 3*
I have decided to stop accepting donations - the support has been so overwhelming you havent just helped me you have helped everyone involved. Again, I thank you all so much for your generosity, support and messages.
I can't tell you how much this means to me and my family. I never expected this outpouring of support, you are all incredible, thank you.
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Update #2*
Thankyou all so much for your donations it is absolutely incredible – and for the support, it sincerely means a lot, I am deeply humbled. My goal has been reached which will allow me to pay my fees, and now the other students settlement costs.
My legal team, Bourke Legal, Barristers Michael Henry and Anthony Collins have stood by me through this (without asking for a cent).
They have been incredible and face the prospect of not recovering anything. PLEASE NOTE; Any additional funds will be used (by me) to show them my sincere appreciation.
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Update*
I am incredibly grateful for the amount of support that I have received, the situation that I have been caught up in is ridiculous but the amount of public, emotional and financial support is amazing.
Due to this goal being met in under 5 days and your amazing support (officially released this go fund me on Friday) I have decided to raise the goal by an extra $15,000. Hopefully this will allow me to pay other people that have been caught up in this legal fiasco, and meet the costs of the other students that paid out so they weren't dragged through the Federal Circuit Court.
I am completely overwhelmed, thankyou all so much.
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Hi,
My name is Alex Wood and as some of you would be aware I have been embroiled in a court case, which has lasted nearly four years (with no end currently in sight). I will provide a couple links at the bottom which explain the events of the case. What these don't include however, is the human side of the events and the personal toll on all those involved.
I am in my early twenties, and at the time of the incident (in 2013), I was a student at a University simply looking for a computer to use for study. Following my post of a factual statement, and question directed towards my university’s policies, on Facebook, I have been accused of racial discrimination and found myself involved along with the University and originally 5-6 other students in a court case that has taken a big toll on my life over the intervening years.
I am in no way a racist and for those unfamiliar with the facts of the case it may brand me for life. I believe being accused as a racist is not just defamation, it is an attack on my character and upbringing.
From the outset, I feel that the solicitor acting for the Indigenous staff member at QUT who brought this claim, has had a strong influence on the case and how it has been managed. I have never believed my comment was targeted at her client or indigenous people as a whole. It was about university policy. The court agreed with me! I strongly believe that the case never should have gotten to the level it did; especially once I offered an apology and settlement without costs.
Once I was completely exonerated of any wrongdoing by the Federal Circuit Court, I did, as is my right, question the legal advice that the applicant received. I attempted to make the applicant’s solicitor accountable for the costs I had incurred defending her client’s claim.
Even though I was exonerated in the Federal Circuit Court, with all of my costs ordered to be paid by the applicant, I am now faced with a costs order against me on behalf of her solicitor. I now have to face the bill of another’s legal team; $41,336 (to be assessed)...and the prospect that I may never recover my own costs from her client despite the Court’s order! Fortunately my own lawyers have stood by me without ever asking for me to put my hand in my pocket (and will only ever get paid if I receive costs from the applicant).
I am just starting my second year as a graduate engineer and simply do not have the money to meet this terrifying sum. The impact of the last few years on me and my family has been immense.
I thank you all for the support over the course of the court proceedings, I have read close to every comment and article. There are no words to express how grateful I am for the public’s unwavering support throughout the entire process. And thank you again for taking the time to read this. If you have any money to spare (even $1) I can't tell you how appreciative I would be for your help.
Regards,
Alex Wood
Alex Wood 18C article