Nari Baxter

Director – Forensic Consulting

Over the past 20 years, Nari has specialised in the provision of forensic accounting services. She has assisted in the preparation of expert accounting reports and numerous independent expert reports concerning the quantification of damages and valuation issues. She has considerable experience in investigating complex accounting matters and in assessing loss and damages for the purposes of litigation.

Nari also acts in class actions, from preliminary assessment of loss calculations to distributions of settlement funds to class action members.

Nari has extensive experience the underpayment of employee wages, both in calculating underpayments to employees, and assisting in matters where Grant Thornton act as Independent Assessor under a Fair Work Ombudsmen Enforceable Undertaking

Nari’s recent focus has been in assessing claims for Insurer’s, particularly in relation to Warranty and Indemnity Insurance following acquisitions.

Experience

• Quantification of loss in commercial disputes including shareholder oppression and shareholder transaction disputes
• Quantification of lost profits in compulsory acquisitions and breach of contract disputes
• Business valuations for commercial proceedings, including shareholder oppression and compulsory acquisition, as well as business valuations for non-litigation purposes
• Class action proceedings, including preliminary assessment of loss calculations, expert reports and distributions of settlement funds to class action members
• Post-acquisition disputes including warranty & indemnity claims
• Underpayment of employee wages, both in calculating underpayments to employees, and assisting in matters where Grant Thornton act as Independent Assessor and / or Independent Auditor under a Fair Work Ombudsmen Enforceable Undertaking

Key engagements as project lead

• Prepared an expert report for lawyers acting for the defendants in Supreme Court of NSW proceedings where the plaintiff alleged they suffered financial loss including pecuniary loss brought about by loss of reputation, loss of profits, business interruption losses, and direct and indirect costs and expense as a result of the actions of the defendant
• Prepared an expert report for lawyers acting for the plaintiffs who were the beneficial part owners of a Joint Venture which operated a chain of concessions stalls in Myer retail stores. We calculated the loss and damage suffered from lost profits
• Assisted in quantifying the loss to indigenous Australians in the Western Australia Stollen Wages Class Action
• Acted for an insurance company in relation to a warranty breach following the sale of a business in the technology industry; the dispute involved the assessment of revenue and income in advance
• Independent expert accountant engaged by the insurer (Buyer's Warranty & Indemnity Insurance) in a post-acquisition dispute involving accounting and valuation principles
• Prepared expert reports for a class action to quantify the loss or damage suffered by the claimants in a managed investment scheme in the agricultural industry
• Investigation into the fraudulent misappropriation of funds by an employee of a food manufacturer including preparation of an independent expert report and a further report for the police
• Prepared an expert report for lawyers who represented insurers who underwrote a Buyer’s Warranty and Indemnity Policy in respect of a sale; after the sale, wages underpayments were identified
• A Supreme Court of NSW matter where we assessed the alleged loss of profits after our client ceased trading with a customer; the business was in the pharmaceuticals retail, wholesale and export business
• Acted for defendants in proceedings where the plaintiff alleged they suffered consequential loss as a result of inability to pay Additional Tax Liability to the ATO; Undertook a valuation of the business and ability to pay the ATO liability; reviewed ATO audit reports and perform a valuation
• Assessed relocation claims and business valuations from the compulsory acquisition of properties including a retail carpet store, relocation and disruption to a wholesale clothing business and relocation of a consulting and training business
• Class Action Distributions – assisted in appointments as Administrators to calculate and distribute settlement funds to class action members
• Assessed the value of an interest held by a minority shareholder after she had been made redundant; the business operated in retail (Byron Bay & Brisbane), wholesale (department stores) and online clothing
• Wages Underpayments – both calculating underpayments to employees, and as Independent Assessor and/or Independent Auditor in matters under a Fair Work Ombudsmen Enforceable Undertaking for industries including technology, aviation, aged care and retail
• Prepared a loss of profits expert report for a BP service station where they had to suspend the sale of fuel as a result of customer complaints regarding fuel contamination
• A dispute concerning the alleged misappropriation by a governing body of over $20 million of funds from a school over a 15-year period
• Prepared expert reports on the misappropriation of funds from a Ponzi Scheme with over $150 million of investments
• Prepared an assessment of loss report in the agricultural industry in relation to provision of defective goods