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In a High Court judgement that may mark the end or just another hiatus in court action between Multiplex and Cleveland Bridge (CBUK) over Wembley stadium, both parties were both criticised by the judge, Mr Justice Jackson, who said he had 鈥渘ever before seen parties so devoted to litigation for its own sake.鈥�

The judge awarded Multiplex 拢6.15m compensation for overpayments, damages, breach of contract and interest, resulting from CBUK walking off site in August 2004. However, the company had initially sought damages of up to 拢25m.

CBUK was also ordered to pay 20% of Multiplex鈥檚 legal bill run up since a previous court case in 2006, which Construction News estimates at 拢1.75m from a 拢9m total.

After the court judgement of June 2006 declared that CBUK owed Multiplex compensation, the two parties made attempts to settle the dispute through adjudication. But a summary of the dispute in Buidling magazine says that the two companies 鈥渄iffered wildly鈥� in their valuatios of how much money was owed.

Returning to the High Court, CBUK argued that Multiplex had benefitted by 拢2m after CBUK left the project, as it was able to re-tender steelwork packages to Hollandia at a lower price. The Darlington-based steelwork contractor argued that this 鈥渨indfall profit鈥� should be off-set against the money CBUK owed Multiplex.

But the judge rejected this argument as unsound, and ruled instead that Multiplex was entitled to additional damages for the cost of correcting CBUK鈥檚 unfinished work.

Now, it is thought likely that one or both parties will seek leave to appeal the latest judgement, a prospect that could see the dispute last well into 2009.