Merivale is an Australian privately held company, with property assets involved in the entertainment and hospitality sectors, predominantly in Sydney, New South Wales.
[2][3] Hemmes' son, Justin, took over the business in the mid-1990s and aggressively diversified into hospitality, operating more than 70 nightclubs, pubs and restaurants, primarily in Sydney, by 2020.
The litigants claimed that the employees were not paid for the significant overtime they were required to work, beyond the maximum allowance of 38 hours per week.
[14][15][16][17] On 30 March 2021, in a major loss to Merivale, Justice Thawley in the Federal Court ruled that the WorkChoices agreement was not validly approved.
The settlement, allocates about half of the funds to cover legal costs and the litigation funder's commission, with approximately A$9.4 million earmarked for the affected workers.