Nicholas Owens

An appeals court has refused to set aside subpoenas forcing Seven to produce some of the 8,600 emails it exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s solicitors concerning his failed defamation case over alleged war crimes he committed in Afghanistan.

Ben Roberts-Smith has been hit with indemnity costs for his failed defamation case over articles accusing him of war crimes, with a judge agreeing with the publishers that the former SAS corporal knew the allegations were substantially true.

A law firm that was replaced after feuding with its funder in a successful class action over Sydney’s light rail construction has lost a bid to keep $1.25 million in security for costs, after claiming it has a right to the money due to unpaid fees.

The judge overseeing ex-commando Heston Russell’s defamation case against the ABC over reporting of alleged war crimes will be involved in assessing his costs after media reports put his lawyers’ fees at $2 million.  

A judge has awarded ex-commando Heston Russell $390,000 in damages over coverage of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, in the first ever post-trial judgment in a defamation case to consider the public interest defence.

Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has been ordered pay $910,000 in security for costs as he appeals a defamation ruling that found he committed murder in Afghanistan and was not a reliable witness. 

Finder Wallet has argued it did not need a financial services licence to sell its crypto product Finder Earn because it was not money, but instead allowed customers to purchase an asset and acted as a marketing tool to funnel users to its app. 

The law firm on record for a class action over the Sydney Light Rail has been dropped by the lead plaintiffs and replaced by class action boutique Banton Group after the firms’ relationship broke down while running the case together. 

In allowing Seven and chairman Kerry Stokes to challenge a ruling granting Fairfax access to 8,600 emails with accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal team, a judge has said they will suffer prejudice if “personally embarrassing” communications are put into evidence. 

The firm and funder that ran a shareholder class action against Ardent Leisure over the 2016 Dreamworld tragedy are seeking deductions totalling more than half of the $26 million settlement reached in the case.