HWL Ebsworth Lawyers

The judge overseeing a suite of cases brought by holidaymakers who were seriously injured in a fatal bus collision in Vanuatu has hit out at QBE for ignoring queries about an insurance policy, as the defendants in the case scramble pass the buck for the crash. 

A former Atanaskovic Hartnell client is seeking special leave to challenge a judgment from the NSW Court of Appeal that found self-represented law firms can recover costs for work done by their own solicitors, urging the High Court to intervene to clarify a judgment eliminating the so-called Chorley exception.

The NSW Court of Appeal has issued a judgment contradicting a finding from its Victorian counterpart, ruling that law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell can recover costs for work done by its own solicitors in a lawsuit against a former client in which the firm represented itself.

A judge has rejected a top orthopaedic surgeon’s bid to uncover the names of 13 sources who gave information to a Nine journalist, preferring the public interest in protecting the sources’ identities and noting their fears of reprisals by the Sydney surgeon. 

The judge overseeing Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten has allowed the broadcaster to rely on an expert report from a lip reader who interpreted CCTV footage of Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins on the night of her alleged rape in Parliament House.

An ACT police officer who handled Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault allegation against Bruce Lehrmann has told the court that police encountered significant “pushback” in their attempts to secure CCTV footage from Parliament House on the night of the alleged rape.

Glencore-owned Viterra must pay indemnity costs to four Joe White employees it dragged into a 10-year feud with Cargill over the $420 million sale of the Joe White business, after a judge found its claims against them were “hopeless from the outset”.

The judge overseeing Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial against Network Ten has allowed the accused rapist to rely on a settlement deed between the federal government and Brittany Higgins, saying it was ‘inconsistent’ with her evidence.

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Australia made misleading statements that its Fairy ‘30 Minute Miracle’ dishwashing tablet was better at cleaning than Reckitt Benckiser’s Finish Platinum Plus, but both companies made false claims about their products, a judge has found.

General Motors is stuck with the full costs of the applicant in a Holden dealers’ class action as part of a settlement with the dealership, despite arguing it had intended by its offer to pay the costs incurred only by the lead plaintiff itself.