Warrnambool's Maddens Lawyers have had the High Court rule in their favour for victims of the Walla Walla tip bushfire which burnt almost 10 years ago.
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This week the High Court ordered the Greater Hume Shire Council to cover losses and associated legal costs, tipped to be more than $25 million dollars.
Due to the lengthy and complex litigation, it's expected that the legal costs will run into millions of dollars.
Those costs will have to be approved by courts at a later date.
The bushfire started at the Walla Walla rubbish tip on December 17, 2009.
Maddens class action principal Brendan Pendergast said the ruling was an excellent outcome for the 70 property owners affected by the fire that were members of the class action.
"An intolerable amount of time has passed while victims were pursuing compensation," he said
"This case has been an extremely drawn out process with the defendant taking every legal avenue possible to avoid responsibility."
Mr Pendergast said during litigation victims had to face significant adversity while they attempted to rebuild their lives and farming businesses.
"While it does not completely relieve their stress, the best possible outcome has been reached for the fire victims," he said.
Victims initially faced difficulties in advancing their claims against the Greater Hume Shire Council when their claim was failed to be progressed by their first law firm.
Lead plaintiff Sharon Weber, whose home was completely destroyed in the fire, and other victims, then approached Maddens in March 2015, just six months before the end of the statute of limitations.
In December that year the class action started in the NSW Supreme Court.
The claim failed to resolve at a mediation and a trial was held in April 2017.
The Supreme Court judgement was reserved for more than 12 months before it was handed down in May 2018.
That decision went against the victims but was appealed by Maddens.
Earlier this year a unanimous decision was reached by three NSW Court of Appeal judges in favour of Ms Weber and the other class action participants.
That decision was then appealed by the Greater Hume Shire Council to the High Court.
"Now that the High Court has reached its decision, it is a relief to know that we have reached the final ruling and that will hopefully bring some peace to all those who experienced the devastation and loss," Mr Pendergast said.
