Adani has been ordered to pay four companies more than $100 million after a court said it carried out “unconscionable conduct” as part of a contractual dispute centered around its Abbot Point terminal in north Queensland.
The four port users, Lake Vermont Resources, QCoal, Byerwen Coal and Sonoma Mine Management, disputed the charges set by the coal terminal in relation to access and handling.
Justice Jean Dalton found these were “not reasonable” and the company had engaged in exploitative and dishonest behavior.
In the judgment, Adani was ordered to pay $37.9 million to Lake Vermont Resources, $25.3 million to QCoal, $31.7 million to Byerwen Coal and $11.9 million to Sonoma Mine Management.
“The applicant exercised contractual power to obtain a large financial reward,” Justice Dalton wrote. “It deliberately chose to do so knowing that it would thereby disadvantage the respondents.”
She said it had also attempted to disguise the behavior in “complex transactions” and tried to include “dishonest recitals” within those.
“These matters are also significant markers, which show that the applicant’s behavior was more than simply robust, and possibly unfair, commercial dealing, but was exploitative.”
