A beauty entrepreneur claims one of Australia’s richest men expected her to have sex with him if he was going to invest in her wellness business.
Linda Rogan alleges she realised tech billionaire Richard White wanted a sexual relationship when he booked a single suite for them in New York’s Park Lane Hotel.
Ms Rogan, who owns a laser clinic at Double Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, says she met Mr White, 69, through his partner Zena Nasser.
The mother-of-three is fighting a bankruptcy notice issued against her by the WiseTech Global founder – worth an estimated $9.7billion – after their alleged sexual relationship fell apart.
Ms Rogan, 55, took her own legal action against Mr White last year when she claimed he had bought her a $13.1million home at Vaucluse in September 2022.
She successfully sought an order in the local court that Mr White repay $92,123 she allegedly spent on furnishing the house.
Mr White in turn pursued Ms Rogan with a bankruptcy action launched in the Federal Court in August.
Ms Rogan claims she was locked out of the Vaucluse mansion in October 2022 when Ms Nasser, a former criminal defence lawyer, learnt she was having sex with Mr White.
Linda Rogan (above) alleges she realised tech billionaire Richard White wanted a sexual relationship when he booked a single suite for them in New York’s Park Lane Hotel
Details of the dispute have emerged in documents tendered in the Federal Court and obtained by publications including The Australian newspaper.
Ms Rogan met Mr White through Ms Nasser, who she said first contacted her over Instagram in June 2022 with a message describing her as a ‘stunning lady’.
Ms Nasser visited Ms Rogan’s Rose Bay clinic Bionik Wellness a month later, according to court documents.
‘At this meeting, Zena Facetimed Richard White, who I understood to be her partner and introduced me to Richard over Facetime,’ Ms Rogan wrote in an affidavit.
According to Ms Rogan’s affidavit, Ms Nasser invited her to dinner at Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room in Sydney’s central business district the next month.
‘During dinner, Richard said words to me to the effect of, “I’m an entrepreneur. I have a company, WiseTech. I’m a billionaire”,’ Ms Rogan said in her affidavit.
Beauty entrepreneur Linda Rogan says she met Richard White, who has an estimated wealth of $9.7billion, through his partner Zena Nasser. Mr White and Ms Nasser are pictured
Ms Rogan said that following that dinner, Mr White sent her a WhatsApp message stating, ‘I want to make you and your business ideas massively successful – that’s how you can repay me… financial freedom is empowerment.
‘And life is short – so I want you to double down and build this thing,’ he allegedly wrote.
Ms Rogan said while Mr White seemed interested in Bionik Wellness he told her, ‘we need to get your partners out’.
One of Ms Rogan’s partners was her husband, Gil Sartena, from whom she had been separated since 2017 but still shared a house.
‘When I met Richard, I genuinely believed he was interested in investing in my business,’ Ms Rogan said in her affidavit.
‘I was separated from my husband, caring for three children and my teenage son had only recently suffered a devastating brain injury.
‘After a few weeks, I realised Richard was pursuing a sexual relationship.’
Ms Rogan said that during another August 2022 dinner, Mr White told her he had bought an apartment for Ms Nasser to live in and he could do the same for Ms Rogan and her children.
‘I will own the property, and you would pay rent from the salary paid by the newly-formed company which would own Bionik Wellness,’ he allegedly told her.
Later that month, Ms Rogan and Mr White allegedly inspected the Vaucluse property, according to court documents.
Ms Rogan took her own legal action against Mr White last year when she claimed he had bought her a $13.1million home (above) at Vaucluse in September 2022
Ms Rogan said she flew to New York on September 17, 2022, at the request of Mr White.
‘When I arrived at the Park Lane Hotel to check in, I was informed that only one suite had been arranged,’ she wrote in her affidavit.
‘I realised that Richard expected me to enter into a sexual relationship with him to fulfil the promise that he would invest in my business.
‘So I stayed with Richard in his suite and our relationship became sexual.’
Ms Rogan said upon her return to Sydney she was invited to Mr White’s home at Bexley in south Sydney where she met two women who would be directors of a company formed to buy the Vaucluse house.
Mr White allegedly told Ms Rogan: ‘The structure will ensure that no one will trace the property back to me or you. Zena will never know I own this house.’
Ms Rogan said she watched the Vaucluse property’s sale online with Mr White, who logged into the auction as ‘Rick LeBlanc’ – seemingly a play on his surname in French.
‘You will live in this house forever,’ Mr White allegedly told Ms Rogan after his lawyer bought it for $13.1million.
Ms Rogan (above) has claimed she was locked out of the Vaucluse mansion in October 2022 when Ms Nasser, a former criminal defence lawyer, learnt she was having sex with Mr White
Ms Rogan alleges, as she prepared to move into the property the next month, she received a message from Ms Nasser, who said: ‘You didn’t have to lie… Richard admitted it… please don’t come near me again.’
According to Ms Rogan, she was told to hand back the keys to the house in November.
Ms Rogan alleges Mr White’s bankruptcy action against her is ‘actuated by malice and is an abuse of process’ and wants the application thrown out.
A spokesman for Mr White told the Australian Financial Review the proceedings related to ‘unresolved commercial debt arising from various cases run by Ms Rogan against Richard…’.
Sources close to Mr White confirmed he and Ms Nasser, welcomed a daughter called Jasmine via surrogate in July.
Ms Rogan, who also owns laser clinics in Cairns and Auckland, was once touted as a potential cast member on reality program The Real Housewives of Sydney.
Her allegations against Mr White are yet to be tested. The bankruptcy case returns to the Federal Court on October 15.
