Crime, Law & Justice
The Examiner

Revised claim by Gunns
Court action against environmentalists set to proceed
By JOHN CAPLES , Tuesday, 16 August 2005

Timber giant Gunns yesterday lodged a revised claim against environmentalists in the Victorian Supreme Court.

Justice Bernard Bongiorno had set yesterday as the deadline for Gunns to serve a third amended and "radically altered" claim or have the case thrown out of court.

Gunns is seeking $17 million in compensation from 17 individuals and three environmental groups, including Greens Senator Bob Brown and the Wilderness Society.

The company has accused the defendants of a wide range of actions, including machinery sabotage, property destruction and obstructing police at its logging sites.

In June, Justice Bongiorno said the action was enormous and had the potential to tie up the court for many months.

He told Gunns' counsel that the case should have been prepared to "the ultimate degree" before it started.

Justice Bongiorno ordered the company to pay all the defendants' costs for the June 17 proceedings.

After a three-and-a-half day hearing in July, at which counsel for some of the defendants sought to have all or part of the Gunns' 360-page statement of claim struck out, Justice Bongiorno found that parts of the claim were embarrassing and unintelligible.

He ordered Gunns to submit a "coherent version" by August 15.

That order was described by Gunns executive chairman John Gay as merely addressing procedural matters and that the case against all defendants would proceed.