Judges

Mastercard has lost its claim for legal professional privilege over communications between its chief financial officer in Singapore and in-house counsel about merchant agreements the ACCC alleges were anti-competitive. 

A judge has approved a 33 per cent group costs order in a class action against Sportsbet, saying the relatively high rate was justified by the risks of running the “relatively novel case", which seeks repayment of gambling losses stemming from allegedly unlawful services.

A Federal Court judge has predicted class action defendants will start arguing law firms cannot cooperate in running class actions, after a different judge hearing a case against Google recently remarked that such arrangements could be anti-competitive. 

The owners of a landmark building in the Sydney suburb of Manly have lost their challenge to a decision which found they owed the local council over $419,000 in car park licence fees and damages for installing a roller door. 

A judge has found that builder DT Infrastructure’s application for adjudication of a $22 million payment claim against Downer EDI was discharged by Downer paying off a smaller claim of less than $1 million, which was the only amount expressly referred to in DTI’s application.

A judge has recused himself from hearing a 'sham contracting' case against Uber because he previously represented the rideshare giant in four similar matters when he was a barrister.

Explosives company Dyno Nobel is appealing a court's dismissal of its case seeking to invalidate patents owned by rival Orica for a wireless detonation device.

Industrial technology company Delta Building Automation has lost its fight over a finding that it attempted to rig a bid for construction work on the National Gallery of Australia and must pay a $1.5 million penalty.

An appeals court has dismissed BlueScope Steel's challenge to a decision finding it engaged in attempted price-fixing and was on the hook for a record $57.5 million penalty.

An appeals court has ordered a retrial in a franchisee's suit against home building franchise operator GJ Gardner Homes over the failure to renew its agreement, finding a judge erred in interpreting a key clause in the contract.