Dumped former Raiders centre Curtis Scott has formally pleaded not guilty as his nightclub punch case hit court for the first time.
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The 23-year-old, who was sacked by the NRL club last week, did not need to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
Canberra lawyer Adrian McKenna, appearing as an agent, entered the plea on behalf of Scott's Sydney-based solicitor.
The plea means police must now prepare and serve a brief of evidence before the case is mentioned again on November 8.
The court will likely set hearing dates on that occasion.
Scott was recently issued a summons requiring him to answer a charge that he assaulted a man, occasioning actual bodily harm, at Kokomo's in Civic on May 30.
His alleged victim, who is understood to have suffered a broken nose, made a statement to police after The Canberra Times published CCTV footage of the incident.
The 31-year-old man's lawyers have also served Scott with legal papers indicating an intention to sue for personal injury.
Scott's solicitor, Sam Macedone, last week told The Canberra Times the 23-year-old would contest the charge on the basis of self-defence.
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Mr Macedone said Scott would argue he reacted reasonably after being "harassed and threatened".
"There's two sides to every story of course," he said last Monday.
"It will be up to the magistrate to decide."
Scott was less than halfway through a four-year deal when the Raiders tore up his contract last week, saying in a statement that his "prior behaviour and recent assault charge" had brought the club into disrepute.
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