Judges

Seven Network has told a court 13 women have come forward with complaints about television reporter Robert Ovadia since his dismissal in June.

Carnival PLC has denied that a passenger, whose husband contracted COVID-19 and had to be put on a ventilator, had a “horrible” time aboard the ill-fated Ruby Princess, in a class action’s appeal of a finding that she was only entitled to $4,000 in damages.

A former PricewaterhouseCoopers senior associate has resolved her suit alleging she was sacked after complaining of bullying by a supervisor on the firm’s diversity team.

Class action settlement approval hearings are not a time for the court to second guess a law firm’s contingency fee as set down in a group costs order, a judge has found, but the question of proportionality is still key, and evidence of a firm’s return on investment and hourly fees may be relevant to the final decision.

A former human resources executive at Accenture is pushing back against an application by the consulting giant to suppress her employment case pending mediation, saying the cat is already out of the bag.

A judge has signed off on the first-ever settlement allowing a law firm to earn a contingency fee, approving a $12.8 million cut for Slater & Gordon in a shareholder class action against G8 Education.

A class action against Carnival over a COVID-19 outbreak aboard its Ruby Princess cruise ship has told the Full Court the lead applicant is entitled to damages “far in excess” of the $4,000 awarded by the trial judge for distress and disappointment.

A property developer has been ordered to pay $11.2 million to the liquidators of Plutus Payroll after a judge found he helped an employee of the defunct payroll services company “wash” money he blackmailed from the company’s directors.

Engineering and construction firm Laing O’Rourke has been ordered to pay a former employee $1.5 million in loss and damages following his dismissal over false claims he was aggressive towards Stayz hosts who complained about a late night work party.

Cruise operator Carnival PLC has mounted a cross-appeal aimed at overturning a judge’s finding that it negligently failed to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship, telling the Full Court that the primary judge’s findings were not consistent with his reasons.