Most Recent
Sydney lawyer’s defamation claims don’t pass serious harm test, appeals court finds
The Full Court has clarified that a prior bad reputation is relevant to determining whether a defamation plaintiff has suffered serious harm, tossing an appeal by a Sydney lawyer who lost her case over an article related to her conviction for an alleged $16,000 scam at David Jones, which was later overturned.
Laing O’Rourke worker who took on irate Stayz hosts over work party unfairly sacked: court
A commercial leader at engineering and construction company Laing O’Rourke was unfairly dismissed over false claims he was offensive and aggressive towards Stayz hosts who complained about a late night work party, a judge has found.
High Court to weigh in on recovery of costs by self-repped law firms
The High Court has agreed to hear a case with implications for law firms that represent themselves in litigation, granting an appeal application by media mogul Bruce Gordon, a former client of Sydney firm Atanaskovic Hartnell.
Aristocrat’s 6-year battle to patent Lightning Link poker machine ends in defeat
A judge has ruled gaming giant Aristocrat Technologies cannot patent its Lightning Link electronic poker machine, after six High Court Justices split on whether the popular game was eligible for patent protection.
Invisalign wins appeal against penniless SmileDirectClub over teeth straightener claims
Dental aligner maker Invisalign has won an appeal of a decision rejecting its case accusing SmileDirectClub of misleading consumers, but the appeals court noted that the prospect of a new trial was “remote” after its competitor went under.
ASIC launches appeal in landmark case over Finder Wallet’s cryptocurrency
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is challenging a decision that Finder Wallet did not need a financial services licence to sell its defunct cryptocurrency product.
Genuine redundancy exception to unfair dismissal not a given, court says
The allowance for genuine redundancies is “not absolute” and employers need to consider measures to redeploy workers, including retraining, an appeals court has said in an unfair dismissal case involving 22 mining workers.
HWL Ebsworth wins appeal in negligence case over $150M Auto Alley property
Law firm HWL Ebsworth has successfully appealed a decision finding that its negligent advice over property in Paramatta’s 'Auto Alley' cost a client $2 million, with an appeals court finding the commercial opportunity lost by the client had no value.
CFMEU boycott case has ‘significant implications’ for industrial relations, High Court told
The competition regulator has asked the High Court to correct the Full Court's alleged error in overturning a finding that builder J Hutchinson and the union for construction workers violated competition laws by agreeing to boycott an independent subcontractor at a Brisbane building site.
Ultra Tune appeals record $1.5M fine for contempt
Car repair franchise Ultra Tune is challenging a record $1.5 million fine for contempt for failing to comply with a court-ordered compliance program in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.