A Western Australian court has ordered mining billionaire Gina Rinehart to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties to the heirs of her father's business partner, Peter Wright. The ruling, handed down by Justice Jennifer Smith, was described as a "half-win" for each side in the long-running dispute over the lucrative Hope Downs iron ore mines.
The case centered on a 1988 agreement between Lang Hancock and Peter Wright, which entitled Wright's heirs to a 1.25% royalty from the Hope Downs mining operations. Rinehart's company, Hancock Prospecting, had argued the agreement was no longer valid. The court found in favor of the Wright family's claim for royalties from 2010 onward, but dismissed a separate claim for a share of the mining assets themselves.
The judgment, which followed a marathon 18-month trial, is a significant development in one of Australia's most prominent and protracted legal battles over inherited wealth and mining rights. The exact sum Rinehart must pay will be determined in a subsequent hearing, but it is expected to amount to several hundred million Australian dollars.
