Convicted baby killer Keli Lane has been told to refine "grave allegations" that prison staff, from governor to guard, are liable for abuse she suffered behind bars.
Lane, who is almost 15 years through an 18-year sentence for murdering her newborn daughter Tegan in 1996, is suing a host of current and former prison staff in the NSW Supreme Court.
Among those named are Peter Severin, who died in August after serving as prisons commissioner from 2012 to 2021.
The allegations appear to include allegations of malfeasance in public office and trespass of person, the court was told on Thursday.
But the way Lane had laid out her case - suing 13 people rather than the Crown - had complicated matters.
Some of the defendants - who include junior prison officers, top brass and the corrections minister - may choose to run their defences differently, their barrister Adrian Williams told the court.
The claim included an "incomplete pleading of the duty" officers were alleged to have breached, he said.
Lane's claim needed to be "complete and sharpened" to make it clear what she was saying about "grave allegations," he said.
"That's at the heart of the complaint about these pleadings," Mr Williams told Justice Peter Garling.
Lane's barrister Callan O'Neill argued her claim grouped allegations by staff seniority, such as the alleged failings of relevant prison commissioners.
Nevertheless, he consented to filing a proposed new version of Lane's case by September 25.
It would be the third version since she first filed the lawsuit in late 2024.
The defendants and the State of NSW, which is expected to be added to the case, will have a further three weeks to decide whether it objects to the layout of the latest draft.
The case returns to court on October 31.
Lane was jailed in 2010 for the 1996 murder of her baby Tegan, who the jury found died shortly after the pair was seen by a discharging doctor in Auburn hospital.
There is no evidence about the manner of death and Lane maintains her innocence.
The former champion water polo player was denied parole in March 2024 under 'no body, no parole' laws passed in 2022.
