Judges

A director at property developer Villawood can't shield instructions given to his Mills Oakley solicitor after a judge found he sought to use his lawyer to mislead the court.

A court has rejected a bid by a Hazelwood power plant contractor to pursue an offsetting claim for an alleged breach of confidentiality in response to a $1.7 million demand from a subcontractor.

A recent property dispute involving a self-represented litigant who relied on AI-generated submissions, including at least one 'hallucinated' case, has prompted questions about the need for more active case management of the use of AI by unrepresented parties to prevent wasting court time. 

A judge hearing a class action over the collapse of mining company Cudeco has questioned why, despite an in-principle settlement being reached with auditor KPMG, the parties have not sought to formally dismiss the claim. 

A heritage bid to protect Murujuga's rock art in Western Australia has languished with the environment minister for more than three years, a court has heard, leaving gas giant Woodside to continue to threaten the sacred spot.

A judge has found bathroom products giant Reece did not validly end a decade-long warehouse lease after its own actions caused a delay in obtaining an occupation certificate.

The applicant in an employment class action against The Reject Shop is appealing a court decision that found it could amend the case and redefine the group members but not retroactively.

A judge has hit Qantas with a $90 million penalty for unlawfully outsourcing its ground crew staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the airline was “the wrong kind of sorry”. 

Another solicitor has been reported by a court to the legal watchdog and personally socked with costs for citing non-existent authorities generated by an artificial intelligence program.

A judge has rejected claims that MinterEllison acted improperly towards a potential witness in a sexual harassment suit against the WA Department of Justice, saying the firm is entitled to make unsolicited contact with potential witnesses.