Construction

G&S Engineering and its parent company, DRA Global, can redact what a court has found is privileged information provided in a witness statement by a former top executive, in the latest interlocutory stoush ahead of trial in a high stakes dispute with MACH Energy.

A judge has rejected Lendlease’s argument that Queensland building legislation does not apply to cross-border works carried out at Gold Coast Airport, saying the builder’s construction of the law would require a “bolt-by-bolt” analysis of construction work.

A law firm partner has avoided personal liability for costs after expert reports were filed late in a dispute with developer Mirvac over alleged defects in a Sydney apartment complex, having walked back an appeal to “competing commitments” that didn’t wash in court. 

A judge has struck out an allegation by the builder of Sydney’s Opal Tower that insurer Liberty Mutual breached its duty of good faith and has warned Icon to carefully consider whether to re-plead the claim.

An appeals court has knocked back builder Hanssen’s attempt to dodge a decade-old dispute over repairs to one of its residential buildings on constitutional grounds, saying the Perth company’s argument would precipitate an “extraordinary” result if accepted.

Three units of Perth-based builder BGC Housing Group have been hit with a class action on behalf of thousands of home owners who allege they have been harmed by lengthy construction delays.

Lendlease, which is facing claims by a former Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills partner over its alleged “aggressive taxation position”, has failed in its bid for orders that evidence of the partner’s alleged loss be filed before mediation.

Building materials manufacturer 3A Composites has lost a challenge to questions for a judge at an initial trial of a class action over combustible cladding, with a judge finding the issue of whether the company’s Alucobond panels were of acceptable quality was common to all group members. 

The builder of Sydney’s troubled Opal Tower has brought a claim for indemnity against insurer Liberty Mutual, which has already agreed to pay out $22.5 million, claiming it is owed a total of $12.5 million for its costs in defending a class action by residents. 

Employment Minister Tony Burke says he will support the Fair Work Commission’s plan to appoint an independent administrator to the construction division of the CFMEU and flagged an AFP investigation into recent allegations the union has been infiltrated by criminal figures.