Judgment

Whitehaven Coal has won a court's imprimatur for leases to mine coal at its Winchester South site, despite the court's finding that emissions from the project near Moranbah, Queensland would be "extraordinary".

An appeals court has set aside a decision to refer the NSW Local Court Deputy Chief Judge to the conduct division of the state judicial commission, after the local court's top judge communicated with a panel member via WhatsApp about the matter.

A company linked to the Victorian Liberal Party will have to turn over unredacted versions of a loan provided to former party leader John Pesutto to help him pay $2.3 million owed to MP Moira Deeming in defamation proceedings. 

A judge has approved a $29.6 million settlement in a class action against Westpac’s former home lending business RAMS, including $4 million in legal costs and a $12 million funding commission. 

A chemical engineer who helped develop patented technology to prevent pollution from fracking operations has failed in his bid to be bought out by the company for $1.43 million, with a judge rejecting his claims of shareholder oppression.

Amcor is liable for some of the $23 million in costs claimed by builder Glenvill for asbestos contamination remediation at a former industrial site in Alphington, Melbourne, a court has ruled.

A developer has succeeded in overturning a ruling that it owes $6.1 million in damages to an off-the-plan buyer after it sold two Brisbane penthouses to other buyers for more than double the original contract price.

A subcontractor has been ordered to repay $1.59 million after a judge found it had been paid for incomplete works on three Sydney Metro stations.

A former producer of Seven's Spotlight who gave evidence in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case has lost his bid to remove Thompsons as the solicitor for News Corp in his defamation and racial discrimination suit against the publisher.