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One of Merivale’s biggest spending VIPs, Matthew Palavidis, has had charges of sexual touching without consent dismissed, but has been convicted of common assault after he allegedly tried to undo a waitress’s top at one of the hospitality giant’s top venues.
Palavidis’ lawyer, Paul McGirr, said the 64-year-old would appeal the common assault conviction. The conviction order has been stayed pending the outcome of the appeal.
Matthew Palavidis walks into Waverley local court on Tuesday with his lawyer Paul McGirr. Credit: Edwina Pickles
“He maintains his innocence,” said McGirr. “The most serious charge has been rightfully dismissed, and in relation to the common assault, we don’t accept that either.”
Palavidis, an acoustic engineer from Darling Point, is known within the Merivale empire as a “whale” for his prolific spending across its Sydney establishments.
The Waverley Local Court heard Palavidis had a preference for lobster, extra-dry martinis with a lemon twist, Don Julio 1942 tequila, and had to be given “strong, attentive service” at Merivale establishments.
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Merivale, owned by billionaire Justin Hemmes, continued to allow the VIP into its restaurants after the waitress pressed charges against him last year.
The court heard Palavidis tried to undo the waitress’s top as she served him caviar and vodka shots at Mimi’s in Coogee in 2023.
Three of Palavidis’ companions, including his accountant, Michael Seymour, said they did not see Palavidis reach for the waitress’s top when they dined together at Mimi’s.
CCTV footage of the incident played to the court showed Palavidis reaching to his right. But the video was inconclusive on whether he had touched the waitress because she was hidden behind a lamp.
“Matthew is very animated sometimes,” Seymour said on Tuesday. Seymour said he was a “moralistic person” who would have walked out of the restaurant if he had witnessed any alleged sexual touching by Palavidis.
“All I can say is that he certainly never put his hand towards the waitress,” he said.
The waitress, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first Merivale staff member to take a VIP guest to court.
Mimi’s venue manager Jonathan Robinson told the court in November that Palavidis was “not just a regular of Mimi’s but also a regular of Merivale”.
Robinson said the waitress approached him after serving Palavidis a caviar bump with vodka and said: “I don’t want to go back there.”
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“She felt violated,” Robinson said. “She said to me that Mr Palavidis pulled on her blouse [to expose her breasts] and said ‘his present’.
Merivale, which owns 90 venues across Australia, has denied allegations revealed in July by this masthead and 60 Minutes that the company exploited women, facilitated drug use, ignored sexual harassment, and underpaid staff, while serving VIPs with political and criminal links, including men who would go on to become some of Australia’s largest drug suppliers and tax fraudsters.
Two regulators, SafeWork NSW and Fair Work, have launched investigations into the company following the revelations.
“The Fair Work Ombudsman’s investigation in relation to Merivale Hospitality Group is ongoing,” a spokesperson said. “It is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
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