Region

Brittany Higgins’ counsel has argued that her former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, mishandled her staffer’s allegation she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann at Parliament House, saying she effectively told her to “go elsewhere”.

A judge has rejected Lendlease’s argument that Queensland building legislation does not apply to cross-border works carried out at Gold Coast Airport, saying the builder’s construction of the law would require a “bolt-by-bolt” analysis of construction work.

As another trial traversing the rape allegations of former political staffer Brittany Higgins gets underway, a lawyer for Senator Linda Reynolds has told a court Higgins’ claim she was pressured not to pursue a complaint against Bruce Lehrmann was the stuff of fairytales.

A law firm partner has avoided personal liability for costs after expert reports were filed late in a dispute with developer Mirvac over alleged defects in a Sydney apartment complex, having walked back an appeal to “competing commitments” that didn’t wash in court. 

The Legal Practice Board’s decision to audit lawyers at a compensation firm following a complaint about paralegals allegedly engaging in unqualified legal practice has been quashed, with a court finding the law didn’t permit investigation of individual solicitors.

A contradictor has argued against Monash IVF’s bid for orders allowing it to retain embryos as evidence in a class action, saying the Victorian Supreme Court has no power to make orders inconsistent with the company’s statutory obligation to store embryos for a maximum of five years. 

The previous head of First Nations strategy of the Collingwood Football Club has brought Fair Work proceedings against their former employer, claiming they were unfairly terminated after making several complaints against CEO Craig Kelly about alleged racially insensitive comments. 

In submissions to the High Court, the applicant in a class action brought on behalf of Arrium shareholders against KMPG has attacked the Attorney-General’s argument that a contingency fee order is a neutral factor in assessing the accounting firm’s bid to move the case from Victoria. 

Dutch paint company AkzoNobel has lost a mid-trial bid to inspect instructions given by Allen & Overy to experts who tested its allegedly unsuitable protective coating used on pipework on the $45 billion Ichthys natural gas project. 

An appeals court has knocked back builder Hanssen’s attempt to dodge a decade-old dispute over repairs to one of its residential buildings on constitutional grounds, saying the Perth company’s argument would precipitate an “extraordinary” result if accepted.