Judges

Closing a class action trial over Sydney's $3 billion light rail, a lawyer for 3,500 small businesses told a judge Wednesday the NSW government had to show that building the tram network was a “reasonably necessary” addition to the city's transport options.

A judge has imposed a $21 million penalty on Uber for misleading customers through platform-wide cancellation messages and estimated fares on its Uber Taxi option, $5 million short of the “very substantial” sum jointly agreed by the parties.

Insurers will file de-classing applications in four class actions on behalf of small businesses seeking coverage under business interruption policies for losses flowing from COVID-19 restrictions after their test cases largely failed. 

Jaguar Land Rover is staring down a second class action on behalf of consumers who purchased cars with allegedly defective diesel filters over an 11-year period.

Boral has won its bid to shield from shareholders in a class action three investigative reports, including one by accounting giant EY, concerning financial irregularities in the construction company's North America windows business.

A contradictor in two pelvic mesh class actions against Johnson & Johnson has opposed Shine Lawyers recovering $100 million in costs from a $300 million settlement, which a judge has preliminarily found is not fair and reasonable to group members.

Trial in the battle of the buns has begun, with McDonald's laying out a case for why its rival's Big Jack burger infringes its trade mark, and Hungry Jack's firing back that consumers could not confuse its flame-grilled meal with the iconic Big Mac.

A litigation funder has abandoned its case seeking to prevent counsel retained by the lead applicant in the settled Montara oil spill class action from providing independent legal advice.

Westpac has lost a bid to keep group members in the dark about the premiums paid for allegedly worthless consumer credit insurance, information the bank said could inflate expectations about settlements worth $126 million reached in three class actions.

A judge has set aside a tribunal's decision not to disqualify a SMSF auditor for breaching independence rules, finding the tribunal had failed to consider general deterrence.