Battle heats up

By Bridget Brady
A WAR of words between Casey council and law firm Slater and Gordon has erupted at the beginning of a class action for Brookland Greens residents over the methane gas-leak saga.
After the first directions hearing in the Supreme Court last Friday, Slater and Gordon lawyer Ben Hardwick said the council had refused to hand over key documents to residents.
But City of Casey chief executive Mike Tyler said this was untrue and that the council had only received a request for a large number of documents last Thursday, the day before the hearing.
“If Slater and Gordon want to play the media game, they should check their facts before issuing media releases,” Mr Tyler said. “Perhaps they should just let the court deal with the matter in the basis of evidence put before it instead of stirring up further public sympathy for their case.”
The court agreed to allow extra time for council to respond to the request for documents.
More than 500 residents are seeking unspecified damages from the council claiming the value of their homes has plummeted since explosive levels of methane gas were found in the Brookland Greens estate in September.
Slater and Gordon said more than 800 properties in the Cranbourne estate were collectively worth more than $320 million before the debacle.
The company said the current value of the properties was unknown and their present value would be determined by the court.
In a statement released on Friday Mr Tyler said Slater and Gordon also incorrectly quoted Casey mayor Geoff Ablett in a media release.
In the media release, Mr Hardwick said the council’s attitude to the legal action was at odds with its recent public statements.
“Newly elected mayor Geoff Ablett says council needs to earn back the respect of Brookland Greens residents and show them that council supports them,” Mr Hardwick said. “This statement is incorrect,” Mr Tyler said. “Slater and Gordon has attributed the mayor’s statement about earning the respect of the entire Casey community to just the Brookland Greens residents.”
Cr Ablett did pledge support to the Casey community, and made special mention of Brookland Greens residents during a meeting to swear in the new councillors.
“If Slater and Gordon is truly concerned about the residents, why do they continually use the media to re-inflame the issue?” Mr Tyler said.
A plantiff in the case, resident Matthew Wheelahan, has said home owners on the estate were in financial limbo. “We’re paying a mortgage every week on a house that we don’t know the value of.”
The court ordered the council to file its defence by 27 February.