“I believed that SRG [Super Retail], Mr Heraghty and Ms Pitkin wanted to push me to kill myself, destroy my reputation, and bankrupt me as a means to silence me and punish me for being a whistleblower against them and Mr Heraghty’s partner,” Berczelly wrote in an affidavit

At the company’s annual meeting in October, Pitkin said the company had attempted to come to an agreement with the two employees before the issue made it to court.

“We were unable to do so. We tried to settle on reasonable terms because, as you would appreciate, that’s an appropriate risk management strategy for the company to undertake,” she said at the time.

“The court will resolve the matter, and I know that the court is working assiduously to expedite that resolution.”

Super Retail has denied the accusations made by its two former employees, and in June issued the duo and their lawyers, Harmers Lawyers, with a defamation concerns notice over claims made in a media release.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) confirmed in October it was also looking into the matter.

Shares in the retailer rose 4.95 per cent to $15.49 on Monday.

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