Website legal dispute simmers on

Michael Stiassny

A fresh bid to have Silverdale businessman Vince Siemer sent to jail has been launched, after a website detailing his legal dispute with Vector chairman Michael Stiassny resurfaced on the internet.

Lawyers for Stiassny, one of New Zealand's leading insolvency specialists, are seeking to have Siemer imprisoned for contempt of court.

They claim he has failed to obey a High Court direction to shut down the site.

A High Court committal hearing to decide whether Siemer is in contempt has yet to be scheduled, but could happen this week.

Siemer is in the middle of a legal dispute with Stiassny over the placing of his firm, Paragon Oil, into receivership - a receivership later revoked.

As part of the dispute, Siemer hung a billboard in central Auckland, directing the public to his website.

The billboard has since been taken down, as a result of the court order.

Siemer said last week he had sold the website to a Milan-based company and had no control over it.

It is the third time Stiassny's lawyers have tried to shut the website down.

Three weeks ago, the High Court ordered Siemer to ensure it was taken off the internet, which eventually happened.

Now it is up again and Stiassny's lawyers are going back to the High Court.

Business cards giving the website's address were anonymously posted to reporters at the New Zealand Herald.