Barristers

A judge has found there is a genuine dispute over an agreement for the recommissioning of Australian Pacific Coal's Dartbrook coal mine in the Hunter Valley and refused to toss a suit alleging its ex-CEO breached her duty by entering into the agreement. 

A judge has adjourned a hearing seeking approval of a $37.35 million settlement in a shareholder class action against EML Payments over concerns about the exclusion of late registrants and claims.

The federal government has flagged its intention to bring a strike-out application to narrow the group member definition in a class action by single women and same-sex couples who were denied Medicare rebates for IVF.

The publisher of the Herald Sun has filed a strike-out application against novel privacy claims by the wife of Victorian Liberals' deputy leader Sam Groth, saying it was exempt as a news outlet.

A judge will appoint a contradictor to weigh in on a class action's novel bid to vary the rate of a group costs order, just two months after the court approved a lower rate than was sought by the firm that's running the case.

A judge wants answers on why builder Geocon has filed a $4 million construction dispute over two Canberra developments in the Federal Court, where a separate fight with its joint venture partners is playing out. 

A real estate agency in Victoria has lost a suit seeking the payment of its advertising costs from a former client, with a judge finding that writing 'TBA' in the contract defeated the consumer protection purpose of rules for real estate agents.

The firm wants a bigger slice of any recovery in its case against Paladin Energy, but its clearer funding arrangement and realistic litigation budget give it the edge over a rival class action outfit, a judge has found.

The events described by an ex-Master Builders Association board member read like a best-seller, involving as they do boardroom drama, a secret investigation and an alleged whistleblower. But as thrilling as they sound, they don't support orders for discovery against the construction lobby group, a judge has said.

Twenty-one barristers in Victoria have won the title of senior counsel, including two class action lawyers from opposing sides of the bar table who have been involved in negotiating recent blockbuster settlements.