Salim Mehajer has shown up at a Sydney court over a civil dispute with a first home buyer who claims he was affected by Auburn's biggest "sting or scam" against ordinary people.
The former Auburn deputy mayor's appearance at Sydney Local Court on Tuesday came after he was injured in a car crash which last week delayed separate court hearings over assault charges.
Mehajer, 31, had been told that if he didn't appear for a review of his civil dispute with Jason Tran the defence would be struck out and Mr Tran could apply for a default judgment, according to court documents.
The accountant is suing Mehajer and one of his companies over a Lidcombe unit he bought off-the-plan on April 1, 2014.
According to a November 2016 affidavit by Mr Tran, he discovered some time after signing the contract and paying a deposit that the plan for his $635,000 unit in the SkyPoint Towers development had changed.
A conveyancer told him the unit size had been "reduced so significantly that it no longer existed", and his contract was finished, the affidavit said.
Mr Tran wants Mehajer and his company to reimburse him costs including the $21,049 he paid in stamp duty.
"I really feel sorry for all other purchasers who have been affected by what I believe ... is the biggest sting or scam against ordinary people in Auburn's history," his affidavit said.
But Mehajer in a February 2017 affidavit said Mr Tran's deposit had already been refunded and there was no basis for him seeking interest, conveyancing costs or the costs of mediation or arbitration.
Mehajer said that while he was named vendor in the contract, his obligations were conditional on a neighbouring property being consolidated as part of the development, and that didn't happen.
Another affidavit on behalf of his company, Sydney Project Group, denied Mr Tran had any entitlement to be paid an amount equivalent to stamp duty, or that he was entitled to claim aggravated damages.
The court on Tuesday heard the parties had been attempting to settle the dispute ahead of a scheduled November 14 hearing but Magistrate Graeme Curran said if they hadn't done it yet, they probably wouldn't.
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