The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Aug. 17, edition that Lithium Royalty has won a court battle over an interest in the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, setting the stage for a settlement analysts estimate could be worth more than $300-million.
The Globe's Andrew Willis writes that Lithium Royalty, which has helped finance 32 mining projects, spent the past two years in a dispute with asset manager Orion Resource Partners over a royalty on future revenues from Thacker Pass, which is owned by Lithium Americas.
New York-based Orion acquired a royalty on Thacker Pass in 2013, providing upfront financing for the mine in exchange for about 1.75 per cent of all future revenue.
In a case before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Lithium Royalty claimed it acquired an 85-per-cent interest in Orion's interest in January, 2021, for $18.7-million. Lithium Royalty said that two months later, Orion reneged on the agreement by selling a 60-per-cent interest in the royalty to a rival company for $28-million.
On Tuesday, the Ontario court ruled in Lithium Royalty's favour, stating the company had a "binding and enforceable contract" to acquire the 85-per-cent interest from Orion.
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