Judges were not afraid to vent their spleen in 2023, but lawyers were not the only object of judicial scorn last year, as judges waded into public discourse and sounded off over issues including complex legislation, media reports, famous social media commentators, and the involvement of government departments in legal proceedings.
Though the origins of this growing breeziness with the court are unknown, the increasing informality of correspondence with her chambers has so irked a judge she has taken to task the lawyers responsible for one galling example.
A former general manager at Noni B owner Mosaic Brands claims she was sacked after she pressed the fashion retailer to pay out a $275,000 retention bonus, alleging she was told things could “get messy” if she sought legal advice.
A judge has found that the mere mention of the drug Viagra in the workplace does not constitute sexual harassment, in a lawsuit brought against retail chain Bing Lee.
Law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell and founding partner John Atanaskovic have been ordered to pay penalties of $184,680 to a former general manager, on top of a previous $160,000 judgment for engaging in what a judge said was a campaign to “abuse, belittle and victimise” the woman.