Victoria

The Australian Financial Review has hit back at a defamation suit by the owner of Melbourne jazz venue Bird’s Basement over articles about a former employee’s now-discontinued suit, saying the articles were a fair report of public documents.

Shine Lawyers has come under fire from a judge, after the firm filed an application to materially vary a 24.5 per cent group costs order in a settled shareholder class action against EML Payments.

Real estate investment trust Dexus Industria REIT has agreed to acquire two warehouses in Melbourne’s south-east for a combined price of $47.5 million.

A Melbourne developer has sued its director, alleging that he unlawfully issued himself shares in an industrial estate development in Epping using a “simulated” signature, a claim which the director denies. 

Intrapac unit Brencorp has filed a suit against Casey Group, alleging the rival property developer devised an “underhand” deal to swindle it out of the acquisition of a golf club in southeast Melbourne.

Paper company Opal has sued the Victorian government for $402 million in damages, claiming it was forced to close the Maryvale paper mill after the state government breached an agreement to provide it with a stable supply of wood.

A landlord in eastern Melbourne has filed proceedings alleging a tenant breached its lease by converting a cafe into a smoking lounge.

The builder of the Duke apartment complex in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood wants a court to block the property developer from accessing a bank guarantee as their dispute over the project continues.

Four doctors named in a class action over cosmetic surgeries performed at Daniel Lanzer’s clinic in Sydney can't dodge claims they are liable as accessories for alleged misleading social media ads. 

Maurice Blackburn has proposed expanding the group definition in class actions against Hyundai and Kia over allegedly defective anti-lock braking systems after winning a carriage fight against a proceeding that included additional recalls in its group membership.