Alleged victim sues Prestia and May over Boxing Day hotel brawl
Dion Prestia and Steven May face a civil lawsuit over a Boxing Day 2024 hotel incident.
Former AFL premiership players Dion Prestia and Steven May are being sued by an alleged victim. The incident happened outside a Mornington Peninsula hotel on Boxing Day 2024.
Criminal charges were dropped in May, after being filed in October 2025. A Supreme Court hearing on Friday showed two other men are also being sued.
The incident left two men in hospital. One suffered a detached retina and fractured eye socket.
Both players deny involvement. Prestia now coaches development at Hawthorn after retiring from Richmond.
He was charged with affray and recklessly causing serious injury.
- Boxing Day 2024
- Date of incident
- Continental Hotel, Sorrento
- Location
- 34 years old
- Players' ages
- Two men
- Hospitalized
Why it mattersCivil law can proceed even when criminal charges are dropped. These two former players still face a day in court.
AustraliaA high-profile case involving well-known AFL figures playing out in the Victorian court system and attracting national attention.
