Judges

A company that holds the copyright for the Aboriginal flag may file a lawsuit against a website that sells flags featuring the design with the words 'Free the flag' in the middle.

Fairfax Media has failed in its appeal of a judgment that found the publisher defamed Chinese-Australian businessman Dr Chau Chak Wing in a Sydney Morning Herald article that linked him to an international bribery scandal.

AFT Pharmaceuticals has lost its challenge to a ruling that ads claiming its painkiller Maxigesic is more effective than Nuremol were misleading and deceptive, with the Full Federal Court saying the primary judge did not err in finding the ads lacked an adequate scientific basis.

Billionaire Clive Palmer has lost his appeals court fight to shut down criminal proceedings alleging his resort company breached takeover laws, with three judges saying his claims were untenable.

HWL Ebsworth is on the hook for the legal costs of an unfair dismissal case won by ex-partner Tim Griffiths, and the law firm must pay almost two years of legal bills on an indemnity basis after it twice refused an offer of settlement.

BHP has failed in a bid to shut down a class action over the Fundao dam failure pending criminal proceedings in Brazil, with a judge ruling the mining giant would not be prejudiced if the case proceeded for now.

A unit of Telstra contractor Tandem has lost its bid to de-class a 'sham' contracting class action brought on behalf of telecommunications workers who claim they were denied benefits by being misclassified as contractors.

Australia's second largest debt recovery agency has been ordered to pay $500,000 after the company admitted breaching Australia's consumer laws by unduly harassing and misleading three people over debts they did not owe.

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against 'Underbelly' actor Damien Walshe-Howling alleging he sexually harassed an extra on the set of Channel Ten's 'Bikie Wars' when he grabbed the actress and forced his tongue into her mouth.

The Full Federal Court has thrown out an appeal by a former special counsel of HWL Ebsworth, ruling the senior practitioner was reasonably fired for violating the firm's media policy in press interviews and not because of his political views.