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.Ā
The applicant in a nine-year-old class action over the government’s 2011 live exports ban has urged the Commonwealth to pay up to $900 million to settle the case, after earlier settlement efforts flopped.
A retiring Federal Court judge who served on the bench for almost two decades has railed against court fees āthat no ordinary person can affordā and overly complex legislation, including the Corporations Act, which he called a “blight on our community”.
A judge has balked at the court being asked to examine the internal workings of the Indonesian government in the nine-year old live exports ban class action, flagging a possible Full Court hearing of the matter before damages are finalised.
Livestock drug company Zoetis has agreed to accept a $2.1 million payout to cover its costs in successfully defending a class action dubbed “totally off the planet” by a judge.
The High Court has agreed to take up a case by a liquidator for two related NSW printing companies that could settle the question of whether pooling orders are available for businesses with common right to sue.
The Federal Court has thrown out a lawsuit accusing former NSW politician Craig Kelly of breaching electoral laws with election posters that displayed the details of his authorisation in 8 point font.
Ferroglobe has claimed a Queensland technology company used its confidential information in new patent applications, as the global specialty metals producer races to protect its IP before the applications are published.
A judge overseeing a class action over the government’s total ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia has challenged the applicantās bid to base group member damages on an increased number of cows that could have been exported, three years after the lead applicant won a $2.9 million judgment.
Pet and livestock drug company Zoetis, which successfully defended a class action over its horse vaccine Equivac, is pressing forward with its claim against the legal team that ran the unfunded case, seeking to recover $500,000 of its $3.8 million legal bill.