Legal finding trims Sunland profits SUNLAND Group has shrugged off being hit by legal costs resulting from a court loss over its troubles in Dubai, with the costs meaning its profit this financial year will be trimmed back to $12 million. Despite the dip in forecast net profit on last year's $13.6m, the group's shares added 1.5c to close at $1.75. Investors are focused on the developer's plans to undertake Australian residential projects, pushing the company's Dubai-related legal woes into the background. Sunland said yesterday that costs against the company resulting from its loss in Victoria's Court of Appeal would be between $6m and $7m. The court had said Sunland's case, over a botched Dubai property deal, had "no chance of success," noting that it "failed at the first hurdle." Last month, Sunland was refused a stay on a $6m legal costs order to Melbourne property identities Angus Reed and Matthew Joyce. Sunland had sought the stay as it planned to seek special leave to appeal to the High Court against a decision by the Court of Appeal that it had not been misled or deceived over the 2007 purchase of a block of land in Dubai. Grounds for the appeal include that the lower courts had not considered allegations that Reed had shared a $14m bribe paid by Sunland. Reed and Joyce were convicted in Dubai of receiving the bribe.