Judges

The Fair Work Ombudsman lost its argument for $4.1 million in penalties against the CFMMEU for industrial action at shipping terminals in Sydney and Brisbane, with a judge instead fining the union just $38,000.

A Federal Court judge has dismissed proceedings by US pharma giant Geneva Laboratories against disgraced Sydney pharmacist Mina Attia over sales of 1,000 counterfeit Bio-Oil skincare bottles, calling it “madness” and a misuse of the court.

An environmental group has lost a bid to halt the expansion of an open cut mine owned by a subsidiary of Peabody Energy on the grounds that the regulatory approval for the project failed to assess its greenhouse gas emissions.

A judge has ruled the former head of Titan Industries must provide evidence in the class action trial over the Rudd Government’s cancellation of a program that subsidised home insulation installations, saying there was no proof his testimony could be used to bring a criminal case or reopen a coronial inquest into the death of a Titan contractor.

A serviced apartments provider wants to appeal a ruling that blocked it from trade marking the phrase “Waldorf Apartment” after Hilton Worldwide — which owns New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel – opposed the move.

The Federal Court has approved Commonwealth Bank’s $25 million settlement with ASIC over allegations it manipulated the bank bill swap rate.

A Federal Court judge has signed off on a $700 million settlement between AUSTRAC and Commonwealth Bank of Australia for violating anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, saying the penalty showed the court’s “strong disapproval” of the bank’s actions.

The trustee for collapsed investment group LKM Capital has reached a settlement in a class action brought on behalf of hundreds of investors who sunk $63 million into the failed firm.

Rio Tinto subsidiary Technological Resources has won its appeal of an IP Australia ruling that rejected its mining patent after a challenge by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation.

A judge has served up a loss for Domino’s Pizza in its ongoing IP battle with Australian tech startup Precision Tracking, dismissing the company’s bid to bolster its case with an Uber patent.