Events

A Star Entertainment joint venture has been hit with a lawsuit by the Queensland arm of Multiplex Constructions over alleged costs overruns in the construction for a multi-billion-dollar resort in Brisbane. 

A Deloitte partner has brought legal action against a Sydney builder over variations to a $1.5 million contract to renovate his house in the waterfront suburb of Balmain, claiming the increases were meant as “cash support” for the construction business. 

A judge has rejected a request by lawyers for Seven and the TV network’s billionaire chairman, Kerry Stokes, to issue a correction to his published decision ordering the production of over 8,600 emails exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s lawyers in a defamation case.

Novartis has lost its bid to have Pharmacor’s claim that its patent for a blood pressure drug is invalid decided ahead of a main trial where the Swiss pharmaceutical giant will allege the generic drug maker is threatening to infringe its patent. 

ASIC has lost its challenge to findings that a revenue sharing arrangement between the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and former subsidiary Colonial First State Investments did not breach conflicted remuneration provisions of the Corporations Act.

A class action has challenged a decision that found the age pension does not discriminate against Indigenous Australians because of differences in life expectancy, arguing the Full Court settled for formal rather than substantive equality.

Two class actions against Victorian aged care providers on behalf of families of residents who died due to alleged failures during the COVID-19 pandemic have appealed a ruling that rejected their bid for insurance and financial information to assist in mediation.

A judge has approved a $5 million settlement in a false imprisonment class action against the state of Victoria on behalf of residents of nine public housing towers over COVID-19 lockdowns, despite noting it “falls towards the lower end of the spectrum”.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has succeeded in overturning a defamation judgment requiring her to pay $250,000 in damages to former colleague Brian Burston, with the Full Federal Court finding an allegation of sexual abuse against Burston was substantially true.

Deloitte has settled a shareholder class action over its audits of collapsed construction group Hastie, a case which dragged on for six years as the accounting firm unsuccessfully fought to shield its audit reports.