Terramin Australia reviewing legal arrangement after lawyer’s caught in email gaffe
A mining company in a dispute with a renowned winery is reviewing its legal arrangements after embarrassing emails were aired in parliament.
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Mining company Terramin Australia is “reviewing our engagement” with law firm Botten Levinson after revelations in state parliament that one of the firm’s lawyers was taking actions to “piss off” the owners of the Bird in Hand winery.
But the company would not comment on whether the law firm would be let go.
Meanwhile, Botten Levinson has refused to name the lawyer who sent an offending email that said documents were served on people associated with the winery “largely just to piss the whole family off”.
Responding to a question from The Advertiser about who sent the email, partner James Levinson said in a statement: “Clearly we regret any distress the emails have caused and we will issue an apology in the appropriate forum. At this point, however, it is not appropriate to comment further.’’
Late on Thursday, the company issued an unreserved apology after the emails were read out in the Upper House.
The emails — which were read out under parliamentary privilege by Kavel MP Dan Cregan had the names redacted.
They indicated that a person who was attending hospital with a sick child was served legal notices via email relating to Terramin’s court bid to block a $30 million Bird in Hand winery expansion, despite not legally being a party to it.
One of the emails, from a lawyer to a law clerk, which was accidentally forwarded to Bird in Hand, said emails had been sent to someone “largely just to piss the whole family off’’, referring to the owners of the winery. After confirming the emails were genuine, Terramin apologised and said it would take “severe action” against the law firm.
Yesterday, the company told ABC radio it was “reviewing our engagement” with the firm but would not clarify later to The Advertiser whether the firm would be let go.
“The first thing that we did was take severe action against the law firm that provided that information and we’re just working with them at the moment to understand, through an investigation, what happened,’’ Terramin said in a statement.
“But it was no part of Terramin and we definitely do not condone the messages that were in those emails.”
Bird in Hand and other neighbours have long opposed Terramin’s plans to restart a gold mine at Woodside. In turn, Terramin has opposed the winery’s proposed $30 million expansion, saying it does not fit the “desired character” of the area.