Herd on the Terrace: Rollerball hooks in Lezly D’Limi & Reese Witherspoon’s Queensland mate Jacqueline Nagle

We realised labour hire was a rugged game while witnessing the Supreme Court injunction battle between Building Careers Australia and its former star account manager Lezly D’Limi after she set up a rival outfit in 2020. But we now think labour hire is the business equivalent of Rollerball after stumbling across a legal action launched by D’Limi’s latest venture Talentko against three women who quit their account manager jobs within months of signing restrictive employment contracts. Australian Securities and Investments Commission records show D’Limi set-up Talentko in late August with the backing of Queensland celebrity spruiker Jacqueline Nagle, who made national headlines in 2016 when a planned visit by Hollywood megastar Reese Witherspoon ended in litigation and liquidation. The latest legal battle is big end of town stuff versus the burbs stuff. The Supreme Court writ filed by St Georges Terrace firm DLA Piper has Adelaide Terrace-based Talentko making an array of allegations against defendants Tanya Marvelli of Marangaroo, Tynell Glass of Lakelands and Danielle Randall of Erskine. And just like in Building Careers’ action against D’Limi 18 months ago, Talenkto wants injunctions restraining these three corporate high flyers from misusing allegedly confidential alleged information at their new employer Collar Talent Group. In D’Limi’s battle 18 months ago, she was given the okay by Master Craig Sanderson to keep working while lawyers scrapped over allegations she took confidential information. That action quietly ended in January last year with D’Limi promising to not use downloaded material. We’re not convinced the latest blue will be such a fizzer, with the boss of Burswood-based Collar vowing to back his staff in court and in dealing with the legal action. “The stress and anxiety this is causing the girls is unfounded,” Ephram Stephenson said. “We’re just trying to help them earn a living.” Stephenson said his new account managers had not brought any business across the Causeway and they were dealing with clients who were already with Collar before their exoduses in January and February. DLA Piper lawyer Shane Murphy declined to comment and D’Limi could not be contacted. Birthday cupcakes hit Bullseye Here’s a sweet follow-up to our item last week about Justice Marcus Solomon reining in fearsome lawyer Martin Bennett in his lengthy cross-examination of Bullseye Mining boss Peter G. Burns. The Supreme Court bunfight took a briefly pleasant turn at the close of business of Thursday when Bennett rose to wish Justice Solomon a happy birthday on behalf of the lawyers involved in the marathon case. Bennett and his courtroom rivals including Alan Hershowitz, Martin Goldblatt and Clinton Russell chipped in to buy Solomon a dozen cupcakes from the Bull’s beloved Kosher Providore bakery in Menora. The legal bruisers had the box labelled “Marked For Consumption” — a play on the term “marked for information” used to record material put before a judge but not yet tendered as evidence. We suspect the cupcakes did not survive long enough to be evidence of anything material given Solomon was heading home to a house full of grandkids waiting to help him celebrate turning 59. Here’s hoping he downed a quick one in his chambers. Vale Nathan McMahon The Bull was saddened this week to hear of the untimely passing of one of the big characters of the WA mining industry in Nathan McMahon. The Cazaly Resources co-founder was feted at the small end of town for taking on mining giant Rio Tinto for control of the Shovelana iron ore deposit and later the massive Rhodes Ridge project. Cazaly pegged Shovelana in 2005 after long term owner Rio inadvertently allowed its lease to expire. The ensuing legal brouhaha ended with a win for the big guys and it was a similar outcome when Cazaly fronted up for a second stoush over Rhodes Ridge. But many believed Cazaly had valid claims to both projects under WA’s mining laws and agreed there was evidence to support its argument that Rio had been warehousing the tenements. One mining type contacted the Bull this week to tell of a handshake deal he made with McMahon to negotiate the sale of a tenement on Cazaly’s behalf a few years ago. “It took a year or two but eventually the deal went through and he coughed up the $180,000 commission without hesitation,” he said. “He was always true to his word, that was just the sort of bloke he was.” A private ceremony will be held for McMahon at his beloved Swan Districts Football Club in Bassendean next week. Invitees have been asked not to wear a suit as a tribute.