Castle Hill. Gloria Jeans sued for $56 million

Gloria Jean’s Coffees, based in Castle Hill, is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Owned and run by the Hillsong Church elder, Nabi Saleh and the high-profile church member Peter Irvine, Gloria Jean's parent company, Jireh International, is accused of breaking a joint venture agreement with a small US-based coffee supplier, Western Export Services, which is suing Jireh for $56 million in unpaid commissions and damages. Jireh has launched a cross-claim, saying the 1996 agreement was invalid. In a statement released at the weekend, Jireh International says it will be ''vigorously defending the matter and denies the allegations contained in the claim''. The case begins today (April 19) in the NSW Supreme Court and is expected to run for three weeks, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.