Gunns 20 History

Timeline: Gunns vs The Wilderness Society

13 December 2004    
Gunns sues The Wilderness Society and 5 of its officers claiming over $3m in damages for 9 actions arising out of the campaign to protect Tasmania’s old growth forests

1 July 2005    
Gunns serves a second, more detailed version of their statement of their claims

18 July 2005    
Justice Bongiorno strikes out the first two version of Gunns’ statement of claim

15 August 2005    
Gunns files a 3rd version of their claims, adding a claim for a “campaign against Gunns” and claiming a further $500,000

28 August 2006    
Justice Bongiorno strikes out Gunns 3rd version of their statement of claim

3 April 2007    
Gunns files their 4th version of their statement of claim, dropping half of the case against The Wilderness Society – including all the claims for alleged unlawful lobbying of banks, Japanese customers and the “campaign against Gunns”

18 June 2007    
The Wilderness Society files defence admitting organizing a protest in the Styx Valley in November 2003 to highlight the destruction of world heritage valley forests there, but otherwise denying the claims

20 March 2008    
Gunns applies to court for access to a range of documents from TWS, and complaining that many documents provided were heavily masked as confidential and irrelevant

May 2008    
TWS and other defendants settle claim in relation to Triabunna 2004 protest

3 September 2008    
Master Evans dismisses Gunns application for access to further TWS documents

7 November 2008    
Justice Kaye confirms Master Evans decision on appeal

10 February 2008    
Mediation begins

16 March 2009    
Gunns settles case against The Wilderness Society paying TWS (net) $325,000.

Details of settlement:

• Gunns discontinues case against The Wilderness Society and its (former) officers, Alec Marr, Leanne Minshull and Heidi Douglas
• Gunns will release The Wilderness Society from liability from all actions in any version of the statement of claim
• Gunns will pay The Wilderness Society $325,000 (net):
• Gunns will pay The Wilderness Society $350K for TWS costs in the case
• The Wilderness Society will pay Gunns $25K in damages for a protest in the Styx Valley November 2003
  

The Wilderness Society has given no undertakings to Gunns and is free to continue to campaign to protect Tasmania’s forests.

Gunns v The Wilderness Society - Fact Box

Further Reading:

• Read more about the history of the Gunns 20 case >>
• Gunns protest claim collapses
  (The Age online - 16 March 2009)
• The Wilderness Society wins 'David and Goliath' battle against Gunns
  (ABC online - PM on Radio National Transcript)
  
• Gunns Law Suit Against The Wilderness Society & Others
• Missing their mark
  (The Age - 19 March 2009)