Judge delays case against woman whose home secured ex-partner’s failed loan
A judge has ruled that retired couple Marie and Brian Hodder cannot proceed for now against Peta Wilkinson, whose home was used as security for a failed business loan backed by her former partner, property specialist Sean Lewis. The decision matters because Wilkinson had not filed a defence or appeared in court, apparently believing Lewis was managing her legal affairs, while her family home was at risk.
The Hodders lent $300,000 at 22 per cent interest to a company controlled by Lewis in November 2022; after it defaulted, Lewis was ordered to repay $290,000. Justice James Emmett found that the Hodders had not personally served Wilkinson and had sent correspondence to the wrong address, and that it would be unfair to proceed against her at that hearing. Reports before the court described her anxiety, depression and PTSD, alongside severe financial pressure and fear of homelessness; the dispute against her may be heard later.
- Lewis must repay $290,000 of a defaulted business loan.
- Wilkinson’s home had been pledged as security.
- The judge paused the case against her over procedural fairness.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Peta risked everything for her real estate mogul boyfriend’s business dream. Then a judge found she’d been kept in the dark while her $950,000 home was on the line”.