Two of Australia’s Wealthiest Women Sue Rio Tinto over Iron Ore Valued at $200 Million

The families of Australia’s Angela Bennett and mining magnate Gina Rinehart have buried their own past battles in a mutual lawsuit against top miner Rio Tinto for more than 20 years of royalties on iron ore beneath Western Australia’s Pilbara region. In Supreme Court, attorneys from both sides have begun contesting the ore from the Channar mine and the Eastern Range mines based on a 1970 agreement. Rio officials deny these obligations to the descendants of the signatories as the company lost control of the land beginning in 1974 and regaining it five years later.