A high-stakes legal dispute spanning nearly two years over unpaid professional fees has come to an end after the Fiji Court of Appeal endorsed a multimillion-dollar settlement between prominent Suva barrister and solicitor Isireli Tuifua Fa and two New Zealand-based respondents, Shailendra Gopal Raju and Rosy Reddy.
The case arose from a 2017 Retainer Agreement under which Fa & Company claimed substantial legal fees for professional services rendered.
This is after Mr Raju and Ms Reddy changed their solicitors from Fa & Company to Sherani & Company.
In December 2023, the High Court dismissed Fa’s bid for injunctive relief, prompting him to file an appeal.
During the appeal process, the Court—then presided over by Justice Filimone Jitoko—ordered the second respondent’s (Rosy Reddy) solicitors to deposit $1.381 million into the Judicial Department Trust Fund as security for the disputed fees.
This deposit, acknowledged in June 2024, became the centrepiece of the eventual resolution.
On June 24, 2025, after protracted negotiations, the parties signed a Terms of Settlement.
Under the agreement, Rosy Reddy will pay Fa $1.13 million in full and final settlement of all claims in both the Court of Appeal proceedings and the related High Court action.
The remaining $251,000 in the Court’s trust will be released to Sherani & Co, the respondents’ solicitors.
Justice Chandana Prematilaka, sitting as Resident Justice of Appeal, confirmed the settlement, incorporating it into a formal court order.
The ruling directed the Chief Registrar and Trust Fund Manager to release the funds to the respective parties and dismissed Fa’s earlier ex-parte summons.