Sandy Thompson

The wife of the late mining executive Ken Talbot wanted to “destroy” the law firm that advised her husband about his will, a court has found in awarding costs against the widow.

Dam operator Seqwater is challenging a decision that put it on the hook for 50 per cent of any damages payouts to thousands of members of a long-running class action over the 2011 floods that destroyed 2,000 Queensland homes.

A hearing on the validity of border closures by Western Australia and Queensland should be pushed off while WA’s expert responds to an urgent request by Victoria’s health authorities to help that state deal with its coronavirus outbreak, the Federal Court has been told.