Zisi Kokotatsios, a Sydney real estate director who was working as an Uber driver, has pleaded not guilty to several charges relating to the death of 28-year-old lawyer Mitch East in March 2024.
Appearing at John Maddison Tower court on Thursday, July 17, Kokotatsios, 65, denied charges of dangerous driving occasioning death, failing to stop and assist, using a mobile phone while driving, and a backup charge of negligent driving occasioning death.
The incident occurred around 4am on 17 March 2024, when Kokotatsios was en route to collect a rideshare passenger.
Mr East, who had just been dropped home by another Uber, was reportedly lying on Fletcher Road outside his home in Tamarama when he was struck and fatally injured. He died at the scene.
It is alleged Kokotatsios was using his phone at the time of the collision and continued driving without stopping.
Mr East, a Harvard graduate originally from New Zealand, had recently joined Arnold Bloch Leibler in Sydney. In a tribute from the firm, he was remembered as a “talented lawyer, and a popular and valued member of the firm.”
The matter has been ongoing in the courts for over a year, with Kokotatsios on strict bail conditions. He will next appear at the District Court in August, where he is scheduled to be arraigned.
