However,Cable,in defence documents lodged with the court,claimed he and the woman had a consensual relationship for three years as adults,and that he never abused her as a child.
The woman is claiming between $855,000 and $1.06 million in damages including psychiatric harm.
She claims she kept diary references of the abuse she suffered at the hands of the AFL great,using his initials and references such as teardrops and exclamation marks to note when she was allegedly abused.
However,she destroyed the diaries in a bonfire in 2005 and 2006 before later recovering some extracts.
The woman’s lawyer,Michael Magazanik,said she was relieved she would finally be able to give her evidence before a judge,adding Cable’s recent bankruptcy had not deterred her.
“She has lived with this matter for more than 50 years,” he said.
“In 2018,when the laws changed in Western Australia,abolishing time limits for abuse survivors,she contacted me and we began work on her behalf.
“Since then she has been resolute and determined through years of legal wrangling.”
Magazanik told 6PR’s Gary Adshead the case had gone before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as Cable attempted to get the matter thrown out via stay applications.
“And now it’s been made public this morning ... he’s declared bankruptcy,” he said.
“We don’t know the reasons for that,you’d have to ask him,but the point is that my client’s asked me to make clear that she’s undeterred by all of that,undeterred by the bankruptcy and is looking forward to the trial tomorrow and the opportunity to tell her story in court,which is what she’s wanted all along.”
Cable is considered one of the greatest rovers in AFL history. He won multiple best and fairest across his three clubs,Perth,North Melbourne and East Perth,playing a total of 379 games before retiring in 1979 after injuring himself in a farming accident.
He went on to coach the three clubs between 1972 and 1984.
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