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High Court asked to take up judicial immunity appeal
Appeals 2023-11-22 4:07 pm By Cat Fredenburgh

The state of Queensland has urged the High Court to step in after a Federal Circuit and Family Court judge was held personally liable for a man’s false imprisonment.

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Judicial immunity law passes in wake of ruling against Judge Vasta
Courts 2023-11-15 1:18 pm By Cat Fredenburgh

Federal parliament has passed legislation extending judicial immunity to judges on the Federal Circuit and Family Court, after a judge on the court was held personally liable for the false imprisonment of a Queensland man.

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Combustible cladding class action wins ‘fresh start’ with new mediator
Class Actions 2023-11-13 1:43 pm By Cat Fredenburgh

A judge has granted a bid for a new mediator in a class action over allegedly combustible cladding, agreeing with the applicant that a “fresh start” may be beneficial.

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Judge up for costs in false imprisonment case, but not for abandoned expert
Legal Ethics 2023-11-02 11:00 pm By Sam Matthews

A man awarded $300,000 after he was unlawfully imprisoned for contempt has won his legal costs from the judge who jailed him. But a court has rejected his bid to recoup the costs paid to a damages expert in his case, finding he gave her ā€œincomplete, inaccurate and unreliableā€ instructions.

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Judge’s immunity appeal may go straight to High Court
Courts 2023-10-25 1:27 pm By Sam Matthews

A judgeā€™s appeal of a decision that found he unlawfully imprisoned a man for contempt and was liable for over $300,000 in damages may go straight to the High Court and should be heard before a similar suit by another man jailed by the judge, a court has heard.

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Court erred in failing to find judicial immunity, judge argues
Courts 2023-10-18 2:34 pm By Christine Caulfield

The Federal Court erred in finding a judge did not have judicial immunity from liability for damages suffered by a Queensland man found to have been wrongfully imprisoned for contempt, an appeals court has been told.

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Family court judge appeals damages for false imprisonment
Appeals 2023-09-28 11:54 am By Cat Fredenburgh

A judge has appealed a ruling that put him on the hook for damages for ordering the wrongful imprisonment of a Queensland man and set off alarm bells and calls for legislation by the nation’s legal bodies.

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Peter V’landys stuck with defamation loss after High Court declines special leave
Defamation 2023-09-15 3:59 pm By Cat Fredenburgh

Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys AM has failed in his bid to have the High Court take up his challenge to an appeals court ruling that found an ABC report on the killing of racehorses was not defamatory despite not being high quality journalism.

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Vasta judgment prompts calls for judicial immunity legislation
Analysis 2023-09-01 5:31 pm By Sam Matthews

Legal bodies have expressed alarm at the implications of a ruling that put a judge on the hook for damages for ordering the wrongful imprisonment of a Queensland man and have called for legislative action, but one expert says the judgment is unlikely to open the floodgates.

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Court awards $300,000 for wrongful imprisonment by family law judge
Legal Ethics 2023-08-30 12:34 pm By Sam Matthews

A Queensland man has prevailed in his case alleging Federal Circuit and Family Court Judge Salvatore Vasta unlawfully imprisoned him for contempt after he failed to comply with an order for particulars, winning over $300,000 in damages.

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