Berina Colakovic settles discrimination case against StackAdapt after maternity leave suspension

Berina Colakovic has settled her Federal Court lawsuit against advertising platform StackAdapt after the company suspended her on the day she returned from maternity leave. She alleged discrimination and a lack of procedural fairness; StackAdapt denied unlawful conduct and said complaints from staff justified its decision. The case was finalised on 15 October after court-ordered mediation, but the settlement terms are unknown.

Colakovic, a sales director and the wife of NRL player Jai Arrow, said she was suspended shortly after his motor neurone disease diagnosis. She had joined StackAdapt in Canada in 2019, moved to Australia in 2022 and became sales director in 2024. Court filings alleged that workplace tensions began before her maternity leave, including pressure to make organisational changes and the appointment of a new sales director while she was away. StackAdapt’s lawyers said the proceedings had been resolved and declined to comment further.