Sam Matthews

The collapsed companies behind dumpling chain Din Tai Fung have been hit with over $3.8 million in penalties after a judge found they engaged in a “a calculated scheme to rob employees of their hard-earned wages and deceive the authorities”.

A judge’s refusal to recuse himself from hearing a costs dispute between MinterEllison and a former client has been overturned, with a court finding that a number of complaints made about the judge by the client created “a contest” between them.

Property developer Thirdi has rejected the claims of a class action brought by the owners of lots in an allegedly shoddy townhouse development in Sydney, and has filed a cross-claim seeking an indemnity from its builder.

The former head of legal for the West Gate Tunnel project has sued toll road operator Transurban, alleging she was made redundant after complaining about “a culture of fear and intimidation” on the project.

A judge has refused to redact a judgment signing off on the discontinuance of several product claims in a class action against three AMP subsidiaries after the applicant failed to gather the required evidence, saying it was not enough that the reasons “may be an embarrassment to people who commenced the proceeding”. 

Leading lawyers have welcomed a new practice note in the Commercial Court division of the Victorian Supreme Court, including a “rigid framework” to cut down on interlocutory disputation which is expected to benefit commercial class action litigants, but some say the note “should have gone further” to compel discovery from defendants.

Santos wants four activist organisations to hand up any communications with the Environmental Defenders Office over its unsuccessful challenge to the construction of a pipeline for the energy company’s $5.6 billion Barossa gas project, as it seeks to recover third-party costs against the legal centre for its conduct in running the proceedings.

Law firm HWL Ebsworth has successfully appealed a decision finding that its negligent advice over property in Paramatta’s ‘Auto Alley’ cost a client $2 million, with an appeals court finding the commercial opportunity lost by the client had no value.

Aristocrat Leisure has hit back at a consumer class action filed over allegedly illegal ‘social casino’ apps, saying the class action will have to grapple with the fact that the games are played with ‘virtual currency’ that can’t be cashed in. 

A judge has rejected Aussie Broadband’s bid to restrain internet service provider Superloop from acting on a sell order issued last month, calling the argument that Superloop issued the order for an improper purpose “a very weak” one.