Arabic version: محكمة تقضي بأن محاميين في كانبيرا عرقلا مطالبة شريكتهما السابقة بـ500 ألف دولار
According to ABC News, the ACT Supreme Court found Canberra lawyers Benjamin Aulich and Peter Woodhouse took active steps to deter former partner Erin Taylor from pursuing contractual entitlements linked to $500,000 she paid for shares in their civil law firm.
Ms Taylor bought 25 per cent of Aulich Civil Law’s shares in 2019 and argued she was contractually entitled to a refund or buyback because she left the firm within five years. Acting Justice Audrey Balla found Mr Aulich and Mr Woodhouse breached an agreement by failing to purchase the shares, which should have been paid one month after Ms Taylor’s final day.
In a decision published this month, Acting Justice Balla found the two men had “embarked on a campaign” to deter Ms Taylor from pursuing her entitlements. She found they declined to answer repeated direct questions about how and when the money would be paid, and deliberately delayed paying Ms Taylor’s leave entitlements as part of a strategy to ignore her claims.
The ruling followed the breakdown of a personal relationship of more than five years between Ms Taylor and Mr Aulich, after which the professional relationship between the three partners became strained. The court also found Mr Woodhouse placed the firm into voluntary administration in September 2024 to obtain an advantage in the litigation. Acting Justice Balla found the pair engaged in oppressive conduct and breached statutory and fiduciary obligations. Orders and costs will be determined later.
