Father denies sexual abuse of daughter

Rodney Gersbach is being sued by his daughter for alleged abuse. Photo / File

A woman who is suing her father sobbed, and twice fled a Sydney courtroom, as he repeatedly told a judge he had never, ever sexually assaulted her.

As far as Rodney Gersbach was concerned, he testified, there were "two equally unpalatable " reasons Jayne Gersbach had made the claims.

"Either she is making it all up, which is an absolute tragedy for a girl to do to her father," he said on Friday in the NSW Supreme Court.

"Or she actually believes it. There is no reason to believe it."

His 34-year-old daughter is claiming aggravated damages from her 61-year-old father, saying he sexually abused her between the ages of four and 19, memories of which she said emerged when she underwent therapy as an adult.

Mr Gersbach has never been charged over the alleged abuse.

His daughter said she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by him at the family's various Sydney homes and once on a bushwalk in the Royal National Park.

She also said that from when she was aged four to 11 her father made her bend across his bed and regularly hit her across her bare buttocks with a belt.

But Mr Gersbach testified to having disciplined his daughter, possibly five or six times, by hitting her on her clothed buttocks with his belt as she stood in front of him.

"They were firm strokes, to hurt a little bit, otherwise what's the point?" he said.

His daughter had been a happy little girl and a very good athlete, but later was bullied at school, developed an eating disorder and used heavy drugs, he said.

"I tried to be the best father I could be."

He said he spent thousands of dollars on her traffic fines, phone bills and on psychics whom she asked about the likelihood of her getting back with her boyfriend after a devastating break-up.

"All these lies told about me and false allegations have had a terribly negative impact on my business and all aspects of my life," he said.

"I have never sexually assaulted my daughter ever."

The hearing is continuing before Justice Peter Garling.