Fairfax Media

Characterising a settled lawsuit by a Westpac senior executive alleging employment breaches as a “private” matter, a judge has made broad confidentiality orders that bar public access to the case.

A judge has rejected sweeping suppression orders sought by the founders of vitamin giant Nature’s Care over documents in a $200 million tax debt stoush with the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation, instead making limited suppression orders in light of the “serious” allegations made in the case. 

The owner of womens’ networking group ‘Business Chicks’ has sued Fairfax over allegedly defamatory articles which she claims painted her as a hypocrite who unfairly fired a pregnant employee and fostered a toxic workplace culture. 

The judge who found that disgraced soldier Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes in Afghanistan did not show “full consideration of the presumption of innocence” in his defamation case, an appeals court has heard. 

Billionaire Kerry Stokes has lost his challenge to paying in lump sum Fairfax’s legal fees in defending Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case over war crimes allegations, having argued for an itemised bill after the Seven West Media chair agreed to foot the costs on an indemnity basis.

Billionaire Kerry Stokes and Nine-owned Fairfax are fighting about how to calculate costs for Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case after the Seven West Media chair agreed to foot the legal bill on an indemnity basis.

Seven West Media chair Kerry Stokes has agreed to pay the costs of Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case, sparing the billionaire from producing thousands of emails exchanged with Roberts-Smith’s solicitors about the case. The Stokes-owned Australian Capital Equity has acquiesced to a third-party costs order sought by Nine-owned Fairfax, according to a Federal Court order…

Two cosmetic surgeons have filed defamation suits seeking aggravated damages over coverage by the ABC and Fairfax that allegedly painted them as “outlaw surgeons” who mutilated a patient and exploited the Medicare system.

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. 

A judge has denied Fairfax’s bid to strike out allegations by a Western Australian businessman that it was the publisher of allegedly defamatory comments that appeared on one of its Facebook pages.