Judges

For many in the legal profession the choice of Justice Jayne Jagot to replace the outgoing Justice Patrick Keane on the High Court, heralding a new era of judicial diversity on the top bench, was hardly a surprise.

Embattled investment firm Linchpin Capital has sued auditors Grant Thornton and Moore Stephens for signing off on the compliance plan for a registered fund that allegedly used investor money to advance the company's business interests and line its directors' pockets.

A judge has thrown out competing appeals of a decision finding Pfizer's patent for its post-operative injectable painkiller Dynastat is valid and that Australian drug maker Juno Pharmaceuticals infringed the patent by selling generic versions of the drug in Australia.

Federal Court Justice Jayne Jagot has been appointed as the seventh ever female Justice of the High Court, marking the first time in Australia’s history that a majority of judges on Australia’s top court are women.  

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has suffered a defeat in proceedings alleging the Commonwealth Bank of Australia accepted conflicted remuneration through the sale of its Essential Super product, with a judge finding the regulator "ignored the circumstances" in which the product was distributed.

A judge who slashed the fees of a law firm that reached a $1.55 million settlement in two class actions against supermarket chain Romeo's has expressed her "annoyance" at the firm's attempt to tender time records to justify the bill.

The High Court was ostensibly convened in his home state of Queensland to consider special leave applications, but something told Justice Patrick Keane that was not the full story.

The Albanese government has thrown its support behind a proposal to establish a federal judicial commission that would address questionable conduct by judges.

The applicant in an investor class action against Virgin Australia plans to appeal a judge’s decision requiring litigation funder Balance Legal Capital UK to give the airline an indemnity in order to bring the proceedings, saying the indemnity “substantially changes the risk calculus" for group members.

The judge overseeing a class action against US medical device maker Boston Scientific is considering appointing a contradictor to look over the $105 million settlement reached in the case, despite seeing no obvious obstacle to approving the deal.