Anthony Koletti was found not guilty of common assault earlier this month after he was accused of shoulder-barging 73-year-old Julie Brandon in July 2025.
But despite being cleared of the offence, Downing Centre Local Court Judge Scott Nash on Monday dismissed an application by Mr Koletti to recoup his legal costs.
Mr Koletti's late wife was a self-styled financial adviser who vanished in 2020 and is presumed dead after defrauding $23 million from family and friends.
He is not accused of any wrongdoing related to her disappearance.
The 44-year-old widower was accused of shoulder-barging Ms Brandon from behind and failing to stop as he went on his own evening walk in Vaucluse in Sydney's east in July 2025.
"All of a sudden this person barged into my shoulder and then I fell over onto the ground," Ms Brandon testified during the hearing
"I fell down onto my left butt cheek - I was quite shocked actually."
But during the hearing, Mr Koletti's lawyer highlighted inconsistencies between Ms Brandon's police statement and what she told Daily Mail reporter Candace Sutton two months later.
Zali Burrows grilled Ms Brandon about the discrepancies, including which shoulder was allegedly barged into.
"If I said left instead of right, I don't understand why," Ms Brandon said.
"You can ask me again and again, and I will tell you it was my right shoulder."
She disputed changing other details, such as Koletti allegedly "circling back" after a few minutes instead of returning around half an hour later.
In a police interview played to the court, Koletti admitted being the man depicted in pictures taken by Ms Brandon and her friend but denied he saw anyone get knocked over.
After successfully clearing his name over the clifftop incident, Mr Koletti failed in a bid to get NSW Police to pay his legal costs.
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