A judge has refused to disqualify himself from a case by the Victorian legal watchdog against the former directors of two law firms, saying errors by him at directions hearings in the case did not equate to bias.
Facing cross-examination for the first time in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case, former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has denied she adapted her evidence to suit new information and dismissed the “insulting” proposition that she fabricated the alleged rape by Lehrmann out of fear she would lose her job.
A judge has signed off on a $26 million settlement in a shareholder class action against Ardent Leisure over the 2016 Dreamworld tragedy, including $7.8 million for the funder that backed the case and $5 million in legal costs.
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Australia made misleading statements that its Fairy ‘30 Minute Miracle’ dishwashing tablet was better at cleaning than Reckitt Benckiser’s Finish Platinum Plus, but both companies made false claims about their products, a judge has found.
The firm behind a class action over Victoria’s COVID-19 hotel quarantine debacle has won a group costs order providing for a 30 per cent contingency fee, after promising it won’t ask for more down the road.
An appeals court has refused to set aside subpoenas forcing Seven to produce some of the 8,600 emails it exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s solicitors concerning his failed defamation case over alleged war crimes he committed in Afghanistan.
A judge has told the law firm that has taken over a class action against Philips Electronics over recalled sleep apnea machines to take its time when amending the pleading, which he said was not the “finest piece of work” he’d ever seen.
Weeks after giving the thumbs up to common fund orders at settlement, the Full Federal Court has been asked to decide whether judges have power to order payment of a commission to class action solicitors — not just funders.
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has given details about her alleged rape by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House, an event she says left her “completely disconnected” from herself.
A retiring Federal Court judge who served on the bench for almost two decades has railed against court fees “that no ordinary person can afford” and overly complex legislation, including the Corporations Act, which he called a “blight on our community”.