- Court battle over Salim Mehajer’s marble staircase ends with $1 million bill
- Former Auburn councillor failed to pay $670,000 to Prime Marble and Granite
- And he was also ordered to pay $350,000 in the company’s legal costs
- He failed to show at court and his lawyer withdrew from representing him
Controversial former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been hit with a $1 million bill after a court found he failed to pay for work on his western Sydney ‘marble palace’.
Prime Marble and Granite successfully took Mehajer to court after he fork out almost $670,000 for a lavish marble installation at his Lidcombe home in 2014 and 2015.
Mehajer failed to appear at the District Court on Wednesday but the case went ahead regardless.
And in a double blow for the property developer, the judge also ordered Mehajer to pay the company’s $350,000 legal bill.
Double blow: Former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer will have to pay $1 million after a court decision on Wednesday
This ‘exquisite’ marble staircase inside Mehajer’s Lidcombe home has become even more expensive following the court’s decision
Mehajer’s lawyer, Penny Musgrave, also withdrew from acting for Mr Mehajer because she had difficulty getting instructions and payment from him.
When Ms Musgrave emailed Mehajer on October 3 saying she was planning to cease acting for him, he replied: ‘I am in Canberra following the death of my grandmother’.
Days later, he told her: ‘I already paid hundreds of thousands for this matter and I wish for you to continue. You cannot just “suddenly disappear”.’
In an email, Ms Musgrave fired back: ‘You have not provided me with any other instructions…. This is the reason why I must seek leave to withdraw.
No stairway to heaven! Mehajer recently put his home up for rent – but withdrew it from the market
Mehajer and the rapper Tyga are pictured under the infamous staircase
‘Contrary to the view expressed by you in an email yesterday that 100’s of thousands have been expended on this matter, the total amount charged to date is reasonable and not remotely of that magnitude.’
The judge made orders allowing Ms Musgrave to withdraw from the case.
Mehajer had argued the supply of material and labour for the marble work would be undertaken at ‘trade rates’, which the company denied.