The former manager of pop star Guy Sebastian says he should never have been hit with criminal charges over accusations he embezzled funds from his famous client.
Titus Day, 52, managed the singer through his company 6 Degrees between 2009 and 2017 before their relationship ended acrimoniously.
A year later, Sebastian filed a lawsuit against his former manager in the Federal Court which claimed Mr Day misappropriated his performance fees.
Mr Day launched a countersuit against the celebrity, claiming he was owed commissions.
He faced two criminal trials over allegations he embezzled more than $620,000 due to of the inaugural Australian Idol winner.
The manager was initially convicted of 34 counts of fraud which were overturned on appeal before a second jury acquitted him of four offences and failed to reach a verdict on the remaining charges.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has declined to pursue a third trial.
But the fight is far from over, with the bitter dispute returning to the Federal Court after a lengthy hiatus.
The civil case currently alleges Mr Day misappropriated funds in up to 10 transactions, but Sebastian's lawyer said that would likely be expanded to include further transactions outlined in the criminal proceedings.
"That is because my client was unaware of many of those transactions until becoming a witness in the criminal proceeding," Mark Faraday said.
He requested time to file an amended claim that was likely to allege "systemic fraud which was occurring over a much longer period of time".
Documents from the criminal trial have been requested and are expected to form part of the civil fight between the award-winning musician and his former manager.
Mr Day, who is representing himself throughout the proceedings, told reporters that the criminal proceedings "should never have happened in the first place".
"It obviously shouldn't have happened but now it's over it's good," he said outside court.
The civil matter will return to court in December, more than seven years after the accusations were first levelled.
Sebastian rose to stardom after winning the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, going on to release 11 albums - three of which topped the charts - and collect seven ARIA awards.
