Vic: Former tobacco law firm back doing state govt work

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2004
Vic: Former tobacco law firm back doing state govt work

The Victorian government has hired former British American Tobacco law firm Clayton
Utz to fight the state's paramedics' union.

The firm was quietly re-listed as one of the government's preferred legal service providers
several months ago, after it was dumped following the ROLAH MCCABE tobacco case in 2002.

The Department of Human Services has since appointed the firm to represent the Metropolitan
Ambulance Service and Rural Ambulance Victoria in their pay and conditions dispute with
the ambulance employees' union.

In the British American Tobacco case, ROLAH MCCABE, who's since died of cancer, sued
the tobacco company claiming its products caused her illness and the company had sought
to evade its liability.

In March 2002, the Supreme Court found Clayton Utz was complicit with BAT in a scheme
to destroy documents that might be relevant to future prosecutions.

The Court of Appeal overturned the judgment in December that year.

AAP RTV bp/dl/rp

KEYWORD: CLAYTON UTZ (MELBOURNE)

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