An ongoing commercial dispute between Gina Rinehart’s mining company Hancock Prospecting (HPPL) and rival mining heirs Wright Prospecting (WPPL) over iron ore royalties and assets worth billions of dollars began in 2010. The matter went to trial in the WA Supreme Court in 2023 to determine who were the rightful recipients of iron ore royalties and mining licences attached to the Pilbara-based Hope Downs mine. The high stakes trial was fought out over 53 days and was estimated to cost the parties about $250,000 a
day in legal fees. Nine Newspapers report the legal costs are estimated to cost the parties about $100m over the length of the dispute. Justice Jennifer Smith handed down a decision in the case last month, more than two years after the trial ended, ruling Ms Rinehart’s company must share some iron ore royalties worth hundreds of millions of dollars with WPPL. The landmark ruling also concerned mining assets held by HPPL at the East Angelas site, but those claims by WPPL and by Ms
Rinehart’s children, John and Bianca, were dismissed. It meant HPPL retained full ownership of the mining licences worth billions of dollars. DFD Rhodes, another company attached to the Rhodes family mining dynasty, was also partially successful to royalty shares. The court will now determine who bears the legal costs from the case involving dozens of lawyers, representing multiple parties over 16 years. WPPL’s lawyers argued HPPL should pay 75 per cent of their legal costs because they were largely successful in its claims, but HPPL’s
lawyers countered they should be awarded for their victory in retaining the East Angeles tenements. “It can’t be denied that we won on the proprietary claim and there needs to be some victory on that issue,” HPPL’s lawyer Charles Colquhoun SC said. “It was the most important issue in the proceedings, certainly the most valuable issue in the proceedings.” DFD Rhodes proposed that Ms Rinehart’s children John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart should pay 15 per cent of court costs after they were unsuccessful in their
claim, but the children want each party to bear their own costs after they lost their bid. However, WPPL contended the children should be ordered to pay 20 per cent of their legal costs after their involvement in the case extended the proceedings and consumed legal resources. Julie Taylor SC said the children’s defence was 250 pages long and closing submissions was 749 pages. “John and Bianca took 14 days of the hearing time for their submissions alone, all the parties had to respond to
that,” she said. “A rough estimate of 20 per cent would be fair.” The WA Supreme Court will now consider submissions made by the parties on legal costs before a decision is made.
Hancock Prospecting, Wright Prospecting, WA Supreme Court, Justice Jennifer Smith, Hope Downs, East Angelas, iron ore royalties, mining licences, legal costs, Gina Rinehart, John Hancock, Bianca Rinehart, DFD Rhodes, Charles Colquhoun SC, Julie Taylor SC
So who won, because it sounds like everyone just paid lawyers?
These mining heirs are fighting over royalties like it’s Monopoly money. $100m court costs is insane though, like why even have a trial at that point?
I don’t get it—if the court says they share royalties worth hundreds of millions, doesn’t that mean they split the whole mine? Also 53 days trial in 2023 but decision in 2024?? seems backwards.
Wait so the Hope Downs royalties get shared but the East Angelas licenses were kept by Rinehart’s side? That’s like one victory here one there, so now they’re arguing who pays?? I feel like the lawyers win no matter what, because it literally took 16 years and dozens of lawyers. $250,000 a day is wild. I bet the little guy still pays in taxes or something.