The appellants appealed a trial judgment that dismissed their claims for repayment of alleged loans and instead awarded the respondents unpaid wages, punitive damages, and substantial indemnity costs.
The trial judge found that the appellants had 'banked' the respondents' earnings and that the individual appellant acted as a common employer.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding no palpable and overriding error in the trial judge's factual findings regarding the banked wages or the common employer doctrine.
The Court also upheld the punitive damages and costs awards, noting the appellant's harsh, offensive, and reprehensible conduct.
