By Lana Lam, Sydney u2014 BBC News
Australiau2019s wealthiest person Gina Rinehart must part with some of her riches, a court has ruled in a high-profile dispute over her mining empire.
Worth an estimated A$38bn (u00a320bn; $27bn), Rinehart inherited the iron ore ventures of her father in 1992, before going on to develop mines in the mineral-rich Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA).
Two of her children and the heirs of her late fatheru2019s business partners argued they were entitled to a significant share of royalties and mining rights.
On Wednesday, more than 13 years after the legal battle began, a Supreme Court judge ruled that Rinehart must pay past and future royalties to her rival heirs but that the mining rights remain hers.
The legal battle centres around Hope Downs, one of Australiau2019s largest and most lucrative iron ore projects.
The court heard Rinehartu2019s father Lang Hancock and his business partner Peter Wrightu2014who were considered iron ore pioneers in WAu2014drew up an agreement to manage their joint interests under a business called Hanwright.
During the 51-day trial in 2023, Wrightu2019s children argued that Rinehart had breached that agreement, and owed them mining rights and royalties stemming from Hope Downs.
The site is jointly operated by global mining giant Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting, and last year tipped A$832m into Rinehartu2019s companyu2019s coffers.
Rio Tinto pays 2.5% in royalties to Hancock Prospecting, with Justice Jennifer Smith ruling half belongs to the Wright family.
u201cWright Prospecting won half of its case, lost half of its case, and Hancock Prospecting… has won and lost half of its case,u201d Smith said.
The legal case also involved two of Rinehartu2019s childrenu2014Bianca Rinehart and John Hancocku2014who claimed that their mother had moved lucrative mining rights out of a family trust to a part of the business they couldnu2019t touch.
The pair said their grandfather had intended to share the wealth from the mines at Hope Downs with them but Rinehart had deliberately denied them access to the fortune.
Rinehartu2019s lawyers argued she had moved the mining rights out of the family trust after growing suspicious of her fatheru2019s business dealings, but her children argued she did it to keep money from his second wife and former housekeeper Rose Porteous.
Though Rinehartu2019s childrenu2019s claims over the rights was denied, another bid for royalties from Hope Downs by the family of late engineer Don Rhodes was partially granted.
Hancock Prospecting executive director Jay Newby welcomed the courtu2019s decision, saying it confirmed the companyu2019s ownership of Hope Downs and u201cfirmly rejectingu201d the claims by Wrightu2019s family and two of Rinehartu2019s children.
A spokesman for Wright Prospecting also welcomed the decision, saying it was u201cpleased to finally receive a result in our favouru201d.
Rinehart is one of Australiau2019s biggest private donors to sports, charities and conservative political parties.