BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
LIVINGSTON could be hit with a mammoth legal bill of almost £500,000 this month.
Former director Ged Nixon’s action against the club will be heard at the Court of Session on March 17.
Presiding judge Lord Ericht has already warned Livi about their conduct.
Last month they were told to provide documentation to a February 19 hearing on the case, which dates back to Nixon being awarded £215,367 in 2015.
The money is due to be repaid for loans he made to the club during his four-year term as a director. It’s understood the judge was unhappy at Livingston questioning the amount, which was set by the Court of Session.
Livi maintain they haven’t been in a position to repay Nixon’s claim, even though they received a down-payment of £1.1m for Lyndon Dykes from QPR last August.
They have also since landed a windfall of around £205,000 for reaching the Betfred Cup final and TV cash from the Hampden showpiece.
If Livi lose the hearing they would be expected to pay the cash to Nixon promptly, with interest of eight per cent per year.
If that was backdated to the start of the case in 2014, Livi could be liable for over £100,000 in costs.
Legal bills for Nixon and the club combined, which Livi would also likely have to pay if they lose, are also expected to run into six figures.
SunSport revealed last month that club bosses had made an effort to settle the case by offering Nixon around half the sum he claims he’s due, which he rejected.
But his legal team believe the fact Livi were willing to settle the case is an indication they know they have little chance of having the original decision overturned.
Livi chief John Ward told SunSport they don’t have the funds to re-pay the loan. He claimed: “Our projections for the year are for a loss of between £1.6m and £2m.”
Meanwhile, the SFA set are set to probe Livi’s links with controversial lawyer Gordon Beurksens.
He was jailed for 18 months in 2014 for embezzling an elderly couple’s life savings.
But Beurskens has been acting as a ‘legal advisor’ to Livi, and was involved in the hearing which saw boss Davie Martindale passed fit and proper by the SFA.
