Lawyer Alex Elliott can’t refuse to hand over evidence in the Banksia class action on the grounds of privilege against self incrimination or exposure to penalty because he waived privilege when he produced the documents to lawyers for his late father’s funder, a court has been told.
Lawyer Alex Elliott, the son of the mastermind behind an alleged fraudulent scheme by certain members of the legal team in the Banksia class action, has resisted handing over evidence in the case against him, invoking the right to silence in the face of possible criminal charges.
The cost consultant joined as a defendant in the trial over alleged misconduct by the Banksia class action legal team has died, the second person implicated in the fee scandal to die this year.
The Murray Goulburn class action run by Elliott Legal bears similarities to the Banksia class action, a case rife with scandal and offered up by opponents as proof of the problems with the class action regime. The leading lawyers were the same in both cases. In one they have abandoned any claim to their fees and have walked away from their careers. In the other they walked away with $5 million.
Alex Elliott, the son of former Banksia Securities class action lawyer Mark Elliott, must hand over documents revealing his financial interests in his father’s litigation funding company and law firm, after the judge overseeing professional misconduct claims against lawyers in the class action rejected his claims that the discovery was a fishing expedition.
The judge overseeing professional misconduct claims against lawyers in the Banksia class action has denied Alex Elliott’s request to stay the case against him while he takes his recusal application to the Court of Appeal, branding the stay ‘an indulgence’.
The judge overseeing professional misconduct claims against lawyers in the Banksia class action has denied a recusal application brought by Alex Elliott, the son of deceased class action lawyer Mark Elliott, who was joined to the proceedings in August.
The judge overseeing professional misconduct claims against lawyers in the Banksia class action appeared to express “a very dim view” of Alex Elliott, the son of class action lawyer Mark Elliott, and should not hear the case against him, a court has heard.
The son of controversial class action lawyer Mark Elliott has hired a big gun barrister to represent him in the Banksia class action proceedings and will be asking the judge overseeing the case against him to step aside.