Heath Kelley alleges in a lawsuit that he was defamed via an Instagram story that Chatfield shared with her 550,000 followers on May 7, shortly after the federal election.

The post reportedly included private messages between the two after Kelley sent her a video related to then-Greens leader Adam Bandt, as detailed in court documents released to AAP today.

The lawsuit, filed in late September, states that the defamatory statements were “inherently serious,” stemming from private messages shared without permission.

“The damage caused or likely to be incurred by the story is heightened by the current conflict in Gaza, which is a highly contentious political and social issue in Australia,” Svilans wrote.

After the story was published and Kelley tagged, he was exposed to hatred, ridicule and contempt, the lawsuit said.

“You chose to publicly vilify our client in the most abusive and extreme manner to your hundreds of thousands of followers,” Svilans wrote.

Branding Kelley a “troll” was hypocritical and would be relied on to seek aggravated damages, the lawsuit says.

He has engaged high-profile defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC to represent him in court.

As well as damages and compensation, the case seeks court orders barring the podcaster from repeating the allegedly defamatory statements.

An offer that Chatfield apologise to her former friend and pay him $95,000 was not taken up before the lawsuit was filed, court documents reveal.

In response to Kelley’s May 20 concerns notice, the television star accused him of “extortion,” claiming that he sought to profit financially from their past friendship, the lawsuit alleges.

Chatfield has not responded to a request for comment.

The 30-year-old rose to fame as runner-up on The Bachelor in 2019 before carving out a notable position as a commentator, particularly on issues affecting young women.

An electoral commission investigation in April cleared her of breaching authorisation laws when interviewing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and hosting a gig with Bandt at a Melbourne nightclub.