James O’Regan

A judge won’t stay a reference process which US company Fluor claims is infected with bias, in a “monumental” dispute with energy giant Santos that has already generated a $57.5 million legal bill for the engineering firm.

Oil and gas producer Santos has successfully challenged the summary dismissal of its claim for recovery of more than $470 million paid to contractor Fluor Corporation in overhead costs incurred after the estimated completion date of gas hubs in the Surat Basin.

A court has ordered the plaintiffs in a coal mine development contract dispute to destroy unredacted copies of privileged legal advice that were inadvertently disclosed by a solicitor for Allens, which was acting for the other side.