A judge alone will determine gangland barrister-turned-informant Nicola Gobbo’s lawsuit against Victoria Police after she failed in her bid for a jury trial.
The former lawyer is suing the State of Victoria for damages, claiming officers put her safety at risk and her unmasking as a police informer damaged her health and career.
The trial will start in the Supreme Court in Melbourne today, with Gobbo expected to appear in person.
At pre-trial hearings earlier in September, her lawyers pushed for a jury trial, arguing the citizens of the state could more objectively determine her case.
The state instead sought a judge-alone trial, noting a jury could be tainted by the extensive publicity surrounding Gobbo.
Justice Andrew Keogh agreed, ruling the trial should be heard by a judge alone.
He will preside over the trial, which is expected to run for four weeks.
Gobbo was registered three times as a police informer in the 1990s and early 2000s, when she gave handlers information about underworld figures including those she represented legally.
A royal commission found Gobbo’s position as both informer and barrister could have affected more than 1000 convictions.
Former clients Tony Mokbel, Faruk Orman and Zlate Cvetanovski have successfully had convictions overturned since her role was uncovered in March 2019.
Gobbo claims Victoria Police put her safety at risk when they used her as a police informer.
She also alleges her unmasking as Informer 3838 and “Lawyer X” has damaged her health and career.
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