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A former worker identified in court publications as VLN alleges unpaid wages, personal grievances and breaches of minimum employment standards in a proceeding involving Kim and Elizabeth Dotcom and Contractors Only Ltd. The allegations have not been decided: the substantive hearing was still pending when Open Justice reported on the case on 1 October 2026.
What VLN says happened
Open Justice reports that VLN, whose name is suppressed in published decisions, was engaged by Contractors Only Ltd from late January through late March 2026 and provided services as a “homeworker” at properties belonging to Kim and Elizabeth Dotcom. The report says Elizabeth Dotcom is the company’s only director listed on the Companies Office register. Open Justice
In April 2026, VLN applied to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), seeking a determination that they were an employee of the couple. VLN’s case is that, if that employment status is established, the relationship involved personal grievances, unpaid wages and breaches of minimum statutory requirements. Those are allegations, not findings. Open Justice Open Justice
The case includes an alternative employment claim
VLN also advanced an alternative: if the Authority found that Contractors Only Ltd was the employer, VLN sought orders under the Employment Relations Act 2000 against the company’s director, Elizabeth Dotcom. The employment-status questions are therefore central to the proceeding, and the alternative claim is distinct from the primary claim concerning the couple. Open Justice
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Why the Authority transferred the proceeding
VLN urgently asked for the case to be transferred from the ERA to the Employment Court. The request cited a risk of disadvantage if Kim Dotcom left New Zealand after losing the extradition case he was fighting. ERA member Philip Cheyne granted the transfer.
Open Justice quoted Cheyne as saying: “There is a public interest in resolving at least … part of VLN’s problem without it being frustrated by the departure from New Zealand of Mr Dotcom.” The transfer addressed the requested forum and the stated risk; it did not decide whether VLN was an employee or whether any employment standards were breached. Open Justice
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What had—and had not—been decided by 1 October 2026
As of Open Justice’s report on 1 October 2026, the substantive hearing had not taken place. The report records no finding establishing an employment relationship, unpaid wages, a personal grievance or a breach of minimum standards. The case’s status here is limited to that date; the report does not establish what may have happened later.
The report also says the Dotcoms and Contractors Only Ltd were ordered to pay VLN $2,250 in costs and $225 in expenses by 23 October 2026. That is a reported costs-and-expenses order, not a ruling on the underlying employment allegations. Open Justice
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