A judge has voided contracts between the Morrison government and a subsidiary of Empire Energy for gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin after finding the decision to enter the agreement in the midst of litigation was “legally unreasonable or capricious”.
Eight companies in the Dubai-based Emirates Group have lost a court bid to recoup more than $10.5 million paid to Australian staff during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mistaken belief that the money would be repaid as part of the federal government’s JobKeeper subsidy scheme.
The Morrison government decision’s to enter into a contract with a subsidiary of Empire Energy for gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin was an effort to “stymie” climate change litigation brought against the federal resources minister, a court has heard.
Last weekās judgment denouncing the scandalous behaviour of the legal team running the Banksia Securities class action cast a spotlight on the conduct of lawyers for some of the defendants, asking whether āuntenableā defences were maintained beyond an acceptable point in the case.
Lawyers running the scandal-ridden Banksia class action have been struck from the roll of practitioners, will face criminal investigation and must pay group members $11.7 million in damages.
It has been described as the darkest chapter in Victoria’s legal history, an exemplar of all that is terrible with class actions in Australia. A case of greedy lawyers who found their golden egg in a group of retirees who had lost their life savings, never thinking the chickens might come home to roost. Until now.
A judge has questioned whether he should allow prosecutors to amend charges against ANZ and its treasurer in a criminal cartel case over a $2.5 billion share placement after the bank argued the charges were defective and should be quashed.
A BP worker who was awarded $201,000 after he was unlawfully dismissed for sharing a Hitler parody video has lost his bid for $51,000 in costs from his employer and law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
The High Court has tossed an appeal by the Victorian International Container Terminal which sought summary dismissal of a legal challenge to an enterprise agreement entered into with the blessing of the Maritime Union of Australia in 2016.
Allowing former senior barrister Norman O’Bryan to reopen his defence in the Banksia class action while “avoiding the witness box” was clearly prejudicial, and futile to boot, a judge has said in his reasons for refusing the silk’s last-minute application.