Judges

Grocon has lost yet another argument over documents in its lawsuit against Infrastructure NSW over a stalled $2 billion Central Barangaroo development project, with a judge rejecting its bid to access material over which the government agency claimed privilege and public interest immunity. 

The lead plaintiff in a class action over Sydney’s light rail construction, who is seeking a $3 million judgment, has brought a novel bid for the NSW government to pay a funder’s 40 per cent commission as damages, rather than as a deduction from the amount owed to group members.

A judge has thrown out a former Norton Rose Fulbright digital marketing manager’s claims that she was sacked for making complaints about bullying, finding a partner who was appointed to investigate her claims of bullying was not involved in the decision to terminate her employment.

Group members will walk away with nothing under a settlement in a seven-year old class action against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia on behalf of borrowers who claimed they were forced to default on their commercial loans.

The Project producer Angus Llewellyn has testified that Bruce Lehrmann was given a reasonable chance to respond to rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins, and dismissed as “ridiculous” the suggestion that he indicated to Higgins and her partner David Sharaz that he was going to “do a number” on Lehrmann. 

The judge overseeing the trial in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten intervened on Wednesday during cross-examination of The Project producer Angus Llewellyn, apparently dissatisfied with Llewellyn’s response when asked whether he believed Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz had a “political agenda”.

A court has heard a secretly recorded conversation between Brittany Higgins and her former boss, Senator Michaelia Cash, which presenter Lisa Wilkinson says is consistent with Higgins’ account that she told Cash in October 2019 about her alleged rape by Bruce Lehrmann, a claim that Cash has denied.

The judge overseeing the trial in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten has granted Lehrmann’s bid to subpoena Sky News Australia for an audio recording said to capture a conversation between Brittany Higgins’ fiancé and her solicitor.

Billionaire Kerry Stokes and Nine-owned Fairfax are fighting about how to calculate costs for Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case after the Seven West Media chair agreed to foot the legal bill on an indemnity basis.

Google’s Fitbit has been ordered to pay $11 million for misleading statements about customers’ rights to refunds or replacements for faulty devices.