K-Line Mobile Mechanics owner Kon Nedanovski is facing bankruptcy after a five year legal battle with VicRoads. K-Line employees Darren Lucas, Simon Karim and Alex Sgroi are backing Mr Nedanovski.
By NICOLE WILLIAMS
A LONG-STANDING Dandenong business is on the brink of bankruptcy after a five-year court battle.
Kon Nedanovski’s mechanics business has been open in Dandenong for 15 years but a VicRoads acquisition put the business on a downhill spiral.
K-Line Mobile Mechanics traded from a rented Princes Highway factory for six years before Mr Nedanovski decided to buy the property in 2006.
Only six months after the sale was finalised he was approached by VicRoads to discuss acquiring the property to make way for an Eastlink connection.
Four years later, he is facing bankruptcy after taking VicRoads to court.
“It has destroyed my business and I am practically bankrupt,” Mr Nedanovski said.
Mr Nedanovski said VicRoads did not offer any compensation for one year after he was forced from the property in 2008 and was offered a factory on the ‘back streets’.
“The location I had was great, I had advertising from the highway,” he said.
“So I wanted a main road location because it was ludicrous to go on a back street.”
He won the case in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Supreme Court but only 80 per cent of costs will be paid by VicRoads and he said he could never get his time back.
“I have spent day and night on this case but how could I concentrate on my business when I was stuck with this hassle?”
“It has been like a Days of Our Lives saga.”
K-Line is now trading from another factory on the Princes Highway but he had to put off staff because he couldn’t afford the extra wages and struggled to pay for mounting legal fees while the case was being heard.
But the issues extended beyond his mobile mechanics business.
“The business has been functioning and is still functioning but I am struggling to push through,” he said.
“I am scraping the bottom of barrel trying to get business back up.
“It’s trying on my mind and body and is taking a big toll.”
He applied for compensation from VicRoads for up to $1.4 million but was awarded $580,209 compensation, plus legal costs, by the court.
Mr Nedanovski now estimates he is out of pocket more than $900,000.
“I don’t want extra money, I just want to be where I was before and I am $900,000 out of pocket.”
Evan Quick, VicRoads Acting Director Property Services, said VicRoads was unable to comment as the land acquisition was subject to litigation and some issues were still being resolved.
