Judgment

Courts continue to disagree on the meaning of 'serious harm' in defamation law, a threshold test introduced in 2021 that has raised the bar for plaintiffs claiming a publication has damaged their reputations.

Octet Finance has won a $38,000 judgment against the ex-CFO of defunct pie maker Mrs Mac’s, with a court finding he failed to correct a statement that the trade financier would likely be repaid in full following a $4 million recapitalisation.

Healthcare equipment company Ansell has won default judgment against an unknown threat actor behind an October data breach, with a judge citing similar orders made following a cyberattack against law firm HWL Ebsworth. 

Roberts Construction has won indemnity costs against a company that unsuccessfully pursued a winding up application against it, as well as a personal costs order against its director.

X Corp can't challenge a finding that it must face a complaint of religious vilification in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, with an appeal tribunal saying a member was not wrong to draw on defamation and consumer case law.

A former waiter at the Melbourne consulate of the United Arab Emirates had been awarded more than $200,000 after she was discriminated against and dismissed after having a child. 

The Fair Work Commission has found a recruitment agency employee who was sacked after starting a coaching business as a side hustle was not unfairly dismissed.

A court has tossed a landmark greenwashing case against Santos alleging it misled investors by falsely representing that it had a plausible path to net zero by 2040.

Deciding an issue that might take a class action against Ford to the High Court for a second time, a judge has found that used car owners can sue under the same consumer guarantee as someone who bought a new car. 

A judge has ordered Mobil Oil to pay an agreed penalty of $16 million for running ads in far north Queensland over a period of four years falsely claiming that it was supplying a specific brand of fuel with added benefits.