Judges

The judgment in ASIC's case against Star's top executives and directors sounds a warning that board members need to proactively test information and serves as a "stark reminder" to general counsel that their duties are owed to the company, not management, experts tell Lawyerly.

A law firm bringing a class action alleging Harvey Norman sold worthless warranties is seeking a 30 per cent group costs order, arguing times have changed and that the court should only consider GCOs awarded in the past year. 

A Federal Court judge has shot down Rebel Wilson's bid to have a defamation case brought by 'The Deb' lead actress Charlotte MacInnes transferred to the NSW Supreme Court.

A Queensland solicitor has been referred to the Legal Services Commission after filing submissions in a client’s traffic offense case that a judge said contained fake citations and may have been AI-generated.

A court has granted the corporate regulator leave to proceed with a lawsuit against collapsed advisory firm MWL Financial for advising clients to invest $114 million in their super into Keystone’s troubled Shield Master Fund. 

In finding Star Entertainment's former group general counsel liable for breaches of duty, the judge overseeing ASIC's case has questioned the chief lawyer's insistence that she "rarely gave legal advice" and that her roles with the company should be delineated.

Delivering his findings on ASIC’s action against Star Entertainment executives on Thursday, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee remarked that the “self-congratulatory submissions" of former board members named in the case were "jarring”.

ASIC has had mixed success in a case against former Star directors and officers, with a judge finding the casino operator’s former CEO and GC breached their duties but that claims against the former board fell short.

The reluctance of Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre co-owner Wadren to withdraw a non-compliant expert report in a $356 million defects case against the collapsed Probuild has raised the hackles of the presiding judge.

A court has rejected a bid to apportion costs by Downer after it found ICC arbitration proceedings the company brought against Squadron were invalidly commenced, saying the engineering company had lost on the core issue in dispute.