A legal stoush is brewing between Jarryd Hayne and his US rape accuser over whether the NRL star should be forced to fly to California for a potential grilling by her lawyers. Hayne wants to be deposed in Australia ahead of their civil trial in San Jose, California, but the alleged victim, known in court filings by the initials JV, argues Hayne should be in California for the high-stakes questioning. Lawyers for both sides have indicated a judge may have to decide the matter. “Defendant contends that the appropriate forum for defendant’s deposition is in Australia,” lawyers for both sides, in a joint US District Court filing to update the case, wrote.
“If the parties cannot agree on a location for this deposition, the parties will submit this discovery dispute to the Magistrate Judge.” JV claims she was a virgin and heavily intoxicated when she met Hayne at a San Jose bar with friends in 2015 while he was playing in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. She alleges having “minimal interaction” with Hayne at the bar and taking an Uber with him to his apartment where he sexually assaulted her. Hayne has strongly rejected her rape claim and said they “willingly engaged in sexual interaction that did not include sexual intercourse”. Police investigated and decided not to charge Hayne, but JV pushed ahead by filing a civil lawsuit in California seeking monetary damages. The matter is still more than a year from being decided, with a jury trial scheduled to take place on January 27, 2020. Depositions with San Jose Police Department Officers Brandon Scholton and Steven Biebel are scheduled to take place next week.
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