Judges

A judge has found that Mastercard can maintain legal professional privilege over a document that was inadvertently sent to the ACCC in 2020 after lawyers at Baker McKenzie had to review 100,000 documents in less than two months.

A court has dismissed a lift supplier’s appeal of a decision rejecting its claim of breach of confidence against a rival, including an “entirely unwarranted” attack on solicitors at Allens over the use of documents obtained by “internet-savvy” search techniques.

A judge overseeing a class action on behalf of 300,000 allegedly underpaid McDonald’s workers wants to know the monetary value of the claims, while also questioning why the initial trial in the complex case is set to run for 35 days.

Engineering firm Clough Projects Australia is challenging a judge's order staying its $54 million cross-claim against former Energy Connection joint venture partner Elecnor.

Two elections and three different Environment Ministers later, and a heritage application to protect Murujuga rock art from Woodside's activities on the North West Shelf remains undecided -- a delay blasted by a judge as unreasonable and perverse.

Three companies associated with the sole director of Quasar Constructions have avoided freezing orders sought by the liquidators of the defunct Sydney builder after providing undertakings to not dispose of assets.

ASIC is again seeking to strike out mining magnate Clive Palmer's lawsuit over examinations conducted by the regulator, with Palmer claiming the pleadings are "crystal clear".

Journalist Lisa Wilkinson has told a court her qualified privilege defence was wrongly rejected in ex-Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case, arguing the trial judge focused too heavily on the Network Ten's reporting of the difficulties Brittany Higgins faced in reporting the rape at the centre of the case.

A class action against Blue Sky Alternative Investments won't seek to transfer the case to contingency fee-friendly Victoria despite a High Court ruling that put the kibosh on solicitors' common fund orders. 

A court has found no legal error in a regulator’s decision to approve Woodside’s environmental plan for its Scarborough gas project in Western Australia, finding the company was not required to specify what would be an acceptable level of emissions.