Four-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will miss the six-star women’s event at Surfest in Newcastle to attend a court case.
Gilmore was bashed at Tweed Heads in December, with a trial set to begin in Lismore on March 15.
The women’s event was on the brink of being cancelled just last week, before mining magnate Nathan Tinkler stepped in with a $300,000 funding injection.
Since then, some of the biggest names in women’s surfing have confirmed their interest, including world number two Sally Fitzgibbons, three-time winner Rebecca Woods and 2004 world champion, Sofia Mulanovich.
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