The lawyers are preparing to fight over hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bitter dispute about the children's play area at the Canberra Outlet Centre in Fyshwick.
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On one side is Monkey Mania, which ran the indoor playground offering children up to the age of 12 a range of entertainment including what it called "Candyland, Superhero, Undersea Pirate/Mermaid, Enchanted Fairy, Hot Air Balloon and Space".
On the other side is the RetPro group, which runs the centre.
Neither side is talking publicly as the lawyers roll up their sleeves.
A spokeswoman for RetPro said, "The centre would prefer not to comment."
On Facebook, Monkey Mania's operators in Canberra said, "Our closure after 10 years is to do with landlord/tenant reasons."
The dispute is understood to have begun when the centre decided to reconfigure the highly popular shopping mall, including the part where Monkey Mania had its play area.
A "demolition order" was issued, informing stores that leased that part of the centre that substantial building work would be done.
One of those lessees was Monkey Mania. Its franchisee who ran the children's area decided the "demolition order" meant there would be no room for what it had billed as "the place to play and party" and "the ultimate kids party venue".
But the centre operators changed their minds and rescinded the "demolition order". Despite that, the Monkey Mania tenant said it was too late, business was lost, substantial costs had been incurred and it was leaving.
Lawyers were called in. The exact amount in dispute is not known but it's believed to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Monkey Mania's case is that the "demolition order" left it with no viable alternative but to leave. It had to bring in specialist removalists to take apart and remove the children's equipment. Bookings for the play area were halted.
The centre's operator, the RetPro Group, is understood to argue that Monkey Mania was offered an alternative site within the complex.
The result of the disagreement is the big money dispute and the absence of what was a popular rendezvous for children and their parents.
The people who ran the Canberra Monkey Mania said on Facebook, "To all our wonderful customers, thank you so much for the support and lovely wishes we have received in public and in private, since we closed."
Parents whose children had been there responded. Some wanted to know if vouchers would be valid: "Had my daughter's party on Feb and she still hasn't used her free return entry that came with the bday package. Can I still use that in Lollipop land?" one asked.
Others mourned the loss. "My child grew up with you. Thank you for the parties, the play and lots of fun," one woman said.
Until it left, Monkey Mania's pitch to shoppers was: "Book your next kids party here and make it a birthday to remember!
"Monkey Mania Fyshwick includes inflatable jumping castles, a dedicated toddlers area, a gun/cannon foam ball arena, climbing structure, slides and a 'spider web' to climb."
The sales pitch added, "Our themed party rooms include: Candyland, Superhero, Undersea Pirate/Mermaid, Enchanted Fairy, Hot Air Balloon and Space. Party Bookings are available on all days. Open everyday!!!"
The Canberra Outlet Centre is owned by a German property group. According to the specialist commercial property press, Deka Immobilien bought the 44,879-square-metre complex two years ago for $135 million.
The dispute does not involve the owners, just the Monkey Mania tenants and the operators of the centre. It's not known how or where it will proceed, though it is likely that litigation will be under ACT law.
