NRL star Jai Arrow's wife has settled a lawsuit against her employer after she was suspended from work the day she returned from maternity leave.
asserted
she → settle → leave
Berina Colakovic was stood down from her role as director of sales at AI advertising platform StackAdapt just days after her husband was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Ms Colakovic, who married Rabbitohs and Queensland forward Arrow in July, sued StackAdapt in the Federal Court, claiming she was discriminated against and denied procedural fairness.
asserted
she → stand → fairness
The company denied unlawfully suspending Ms Colakovic or taking adverse action against the mother-of-one, and alleged complaints from other staff justified its decision.
asserted
complaints → deny → decision
In July, Justice Craig Lenehan ordered Ms Colakovic and StackAdapt to enter into mediation, which took place in late September.
asserted
which → order → September
The case was finalised on October 15, according to court records, but the terms of any agreement between the parties remain unknown.
uncertain
terms → finalise → parties
StackAdapt was contacted about the settlement, while Maurice Blackburn – the law firm which represented Ms Colakovic – declined to comment.
NRL star Jai Arrow's wife Berina Colakovic has settled a lawsuit against her employer after she was suspended from work the day she returned from maternity leave.
asserted
she → contact → leave
The couple is pictured with daughter Ayla Rae Arrow
Berina Colakovic was stood down from her role as director of sales at AI advertising platform StackAdapt days after her husband (left) was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
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husband → picture → disease
The couple is pictured at their second wedding in Sicily earlier this month
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couple → picture → Sicily
A spokesman for Dentons, which acted for StackAdapt, said: 'The proceedings have been resolved, and it would not be appropriate for us to comment.'
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us → act → StackAdapt
Ms Colakovic began working for StackAdapt as a customer success manager in Canada in April 2019 before transferring to Australia in February 2022, where she was promoted to director of sales in July 2024.
asserted
she → begin → July
Documents filed in the Federal Court by Maurice Blackburn alleged that a superior at StackAdapt 'threatened' her in September that year.
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superior → file → September
The 31-year-old claimed she was told there would be ‘performance discussions’ unless she could ‘turn the business around’ by making ‘organisational changes ASAP’.
uncertain
she → claim → changes
Those changes allegedly included sacking two employees in circumstances Ms Colakovic believed might be unlawful.
uncertain
Colakovic → include → circumstances
She raised the matter with the company's human resources department.
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She → raise → department
Ms Colakovic informed StackAdapt the following month she was pregnant and was due to give birth to her first child with Arrow in April 2025.
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she → inform → April
She was allegedly told the company would arrange someone to cover her position while she was on paid and unpaid maternity leave, which commenced in March last year.
uncertain
which → tell → March
On March 27, 2025, the superior who had allegedly threatened Ms Colakovic announced in a company Slack message a new employee had been hired as director of sales.
uncertain
employee → threaten → sales
'It's not just about the money, but the principle,' Ms Colakovic said of her Federal Court action.
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Colakovic → say → action
'I have seen it before where women are replaced or demoted while on maternity leave'
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women → see → leave
The Daily Mail understands it was part of Ms Colakovic's claim that the Slack message did not mention her or the fact the new director of sales would be covering for maternity leave.
uncertain
director → understand → leave
Ms Colakovic had planned to return to work in September 2025 – five months after giving birth – but extended her intended leave until May 1 this year.
uncertain
Colakovic → plan → May
In early April, StackAdapt's 'people business partner' allegedly told her she would resume work in the director of sales position.
uncertain
she → tell → position
Two days later Ms Colakovic was allegedly told she would still be returning as director of sales but an existing investigation into her workplace conduct would resume and her team would no longer be reporting to her.
uncertain
team → tell → her
Ms Colakovic was subsequently instructed not to come in at her usual 9am start time on May 1 but to attend a midday meeting at which she was suspended.
uncertain
she → instruct → which
She was directed not to contact colleagues, clients or other stakeholders while a disciplinary process was conducted, and a date was set for another meeting.
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date → direct → meeting
'I had no idea what the complaints were against me,' Ms Colakovic told News Corp in August.
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Colakovic → have → August
'When I was told, they were vague, lacking detail and I believe no basis for suspension.
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I → tell → suspension
Jai Arrow is embraced by his wife after running onto Accor Stadium in western Sydney for his 100th NRL game with the Rabbitohs on September 4
Maurice Blackburn contacted StackAdapt three days later, describing Ms Colakovic's suspension as an ambush and claiming she had been denied procedural fairness.
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she → embrace → fairness
Arrow, who played for South Sydney, the Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos, announced his retirement from the NRL on May 20, after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in April.
Ms Colakovic, who remained employed and continued to be paid while suspended, launched her Federal Court action on June 2.
'
uncertain
who → play → June
It's not just about the money, but the principle,' she said.
asserted
she → say → money
'I have seen it before where women are replaced or demoted while on maternity leave.
asserted
women → see → leave
'It's wrong and I don't want [daughter] Ayla to grow up in a world where this can happen.
asserted
this → want → world
'It would be easy to avoid the stress of fighting what's happened to me, especially at this time, but to me it is wrong and my fight is about discrimination in the workforce.'
asserted
fight → avoid → workforce
StackAdapt denied Ms Colakovic was threatened by her superior and claimed she had ‘expressed her satisfaction’ with the outcome of her HR complaint in September 2024.
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she → deny → September
The company alleged she demonstrated a 'pattern of disengagement' in meetings, was unreceptive to feedback and showed an absence of empathy.
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she → allege → empathy
It also claimed some employees felt unheard or misunderstood while working with her.
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employees → claim → her
Ms Colakovic's lawyers alleged StackAdapt contravened the Fair Work Act.
asserted
StackAdapt → allege → Act
They called for the company to withdraw its allegations, end her suspension and return her to her former position as director of sales.
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company → call → sales
StackAdapt had done none of those things in response and denied the investigation into Ms Colakovic or her suspension constituted adverse action.
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investigation → do → action
Ms Colakovic had said she and her husband faced the possibility of them both being unemployed while raising their young daughter.
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them → say → daughter
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
