Sam Matthews

A judge hearing a defamation case over a podcast by The Australian about the murder of Shandee Blackburn has granted a bid by a News Corp unit for a pre-trial hearing to determine whether acquitted suspect John Peros suffered serious harm from the podcast.

HWL Ebsworth has formally replaced its managing partner structure with a company board, following the death of managing partner Juan Martinez in March. 

Federal police are investigating a large-scale data breach at an unnamed commercial health information organisation, the National Cyber Security Coordinator has revealed. 

A judge has expressed concerns about the plaintiff’s proposed group costs order rate in a shareholder class action against fleet management company FleetPartners, saying the purpose of the GCO regime was to lower costs to group members.

A class action against ANZ and former subsidiary OnePath has been given the green light to “significantly expand” its case against the big four bank, over three years after the case was first filed.

A judge has given a poor prognosis to the eSafety Commissioner’s case seeking to have X Corp remove posts that depict a stabbing of a bishop at a Sydney church,  calling it an alarming and unreasonable attempt to exert control over activities abroad.

Collapsed construction and maintenance company General Trade Industries has lost its bid to revive abandoned claims against AGL in a nearly four-year old contract case over work on two Queensland gas plants, with a judge finding the company has had “more than a sufficient opportunity to plead its case”.

The plaintiffs in a class action against a group of surgeons who worked for The Cosmetic Institute have told a court that a costs assessment is not necessary to approve a $25 million settlement, which will see $10 million deducted for legal and administrative costs, in light of reductions to the fees. 

The ATO has lost its appeal of a tribunal decision in favour of Perth land developer Tina Bazzo, with the court rejecting its “all or nothing” approach to a key provision of the Taxation Administration Act.

A judge has granted the Victorian government’s bid to dismiss a class action over its decision to retire Melbourne’s high-rise public housing towers, but allowed the applicant to recast his claim, despite protests from the state.