Events

ASIC has wasted no time in appealing a judge’s decision to excuse cryptocurrency product provider Block Earner from paying a civil penalty on the basis that it took advice from a leading law firm that was not seen by the court. 

The Full Federal Court has dismissed an appeal by human rights group Save the Children, which sought to bring home Australians stuck in Syrian camps, rejecting as “mere conjecture” claims that Home Affairs had a repatriation arrangement with an authority in Syria.

A judge has rejected claims that an investor in the Callide power station, which suffered a major failure in 2021, was responsible for delays in the administration of the station’s operator IG Power, saying the administrators’ ten month delay in investigating the incident was to blame.

A former Queensland prosecutor has had his name struck from the roll after committing several drug offences, despite a judge finding the crimes were linked to post-traumatic stress disorder he developed from exposure to child exploitation material at work. 

Trial in ASIC’s action accusing former Dixon Advisory director Paul Ryan of breaching his duties began Monday, a case that puts the spotlight on legal advice over a deed that affected the wealth management firm’s capacity to recoup a $19 million debt on the eve of its collapse.

An environment advocacy group is seeking special leave from the High Court to appeal a decision that allowed the extension of two Mach Energy and Whitehaven Coal mega coal mines in NSW, saying courts have “enfeebled” environmental legislation.

Petrol chain United Petroleum has sued competitor On The Run for allegedly wrongly claiming its ‘Quickstop’ and ‘Cigmart’ marks infringe On The Run’s trade marks.

An IP Australia delegate has shot down Apple’s application to patent a touchscreen interface used on its electronic devices, calling the invention a “logistical scheme” for organising media files rather than a technological innovation. 

A report into an explosion at a major Queensland power station that left nearly half a million people without power is not protected by legal professional privilege, with a judge finding public statements about the report show it was not commissioned for the dominant purpose of providing legal advice.

A judge has approved a $40 million settlement in a shareholder class action against collapsed engineering firm RCR Tomlinson, with almost half of the settlement to go towards a funder’s commission and legal fees.