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SYDNEY - Lawyers for Australian legal firm Clayton Utz will be investigated over their conduct in the Rolah McCabe tobacco case, The Australian Financial Review reports.
Mrs McCabe launched legal action against British American Tobacco (BAT) in the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2001 over her addiction to smoking and bout with lung cancer, which led to her death before the case concluded.
BAT's defence was originally struck out on the grounds that it unlawfully destroyed evidence pertaining to the case on the advice of Clayton Utz which acted for BAT in the case.
The ruling was later overturned on appeal.
But a subsequent investigation by management at Clayton Utz into the case revealed possible criminal conduct by two of its former partners, Richard Travers and Glenn Eggleton.
Documents from the investigation were leaked to Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls, who yesterday said he had referred the matter to the Department of Public Prosecutions, the Financial Review reported.
"The documents contain extremely serious allegations of misconduct and an allegation of criminal conduct," Mr Hulls said.
- AAP
