Judges

Two Queensland solicitors have scored partial wins in their decades-long disputes with the tax office because of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s “wholesale failure” to give proper reasons.

The Full Court has rejected wealth guru Dominique Grubisa's argument that a judge who slapped her and her company with a $6 million penalty wrongly confused the ordinary consumer with “the most ignorant”.

Women who were allegedly injured by defective pelvic mesh implants can apply to set aside two approved settlements against Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific worth $405 million.

Real estate company Flemington Properties has won $5 million from Ausgrid in a commercial rent dispute, with a judge finding the state corporation was effectively asking the court to rewrite the parties’ agreement.

The owners of the Werribee shopping centre in Victoria have lost their bid for preliminary discovery related to the likely recovery in their $356 million claim against builder Probuild. 

An appeals court has overturned a finding that food company Noumi waived privilege over a PwC report commissioned by Ashurst, which it produced to ASIC under voluntary disclosure.

A class action against Toyota Finance has argued it can add new claims that are out of time because Victorian courts cannot factor in the loss of limitations defences in deciding whether to allow amendments. 

A judge has found that representatives for forex broker Union Standard used unfair tactics to pressure customers to invest in risky financial products and derived most of their revenue from customer losses, said to total $83 million.

Graincorp may face new allegations in a class action that the use of n-Hexane at an oilseed factory in rural Victoria had an impact on the health of local residents. 

Budget supermarket Aldi has won its appeal of a tribunal decision which found that upper limits on rental increases fell afoul of the Retail Leases Act.