Qantas workers on stand-down orders during the coronavirus pandemic have lost an appeal to overturn a ruling that they are not entitled to access paid sick or compassionate leave.
A judge has vacated a seven-week trial in proceedings brought by ASIC against two former Rio Tinto executives to March or April 2022, after they requested a “lengthy delay” to ensure a COVID-19 vaccine would be available before they travel to Australia for trial.
The High Court has granted special leave to labour hire company WorkPac to challenge a Full Court judgment that granted entitlements to casual workers with regular shifts.
Brisbane-based law firm Tucker Cowen and three of its principals are facing an unfair dismissal case by a former special counsel who exited the firm earlier this year.
The state of South Australia is facing a possible class action over a restrictive six-day lockdown that was lifted after two days when it was discovered that a worker connected to a coronavirus outbreak in Adelaide had lied to contact tracers about the time he spent at a pizza shop.
A former Rio Tinto executive living in the US who wants to appear in person at an upcoming trial in a case brought by ASIC says the hearing should be moved to next year when a COVID-19 vaccine will likely become available and he could travel to Australia to “mount a vital defence”.
Insurers may face a class action by holders of business interruption insurance that have had their COVID-19-related claims rejected, following their loss in a test case over whether an infectious disease exclusion in business interruption cover applies to coronavirus-related claims.
Insurers will face a flood of pandemic-related claims after an appeals court ruled in a test case brought by the Insurance Council that certain infectious disease exclusions in business interruption cover do not apply to coronavirus-related claims.
The recent appointments to the High Court have mystified some senior members of the bar, raising questions about the secretive nature of the process and prompting renewed calls for an independent judicial appointments panel to expose the selection process to the light of day.
The High Court won’t wade into Kraft-Heinz’s intellectual property dispute with Bega after the US food giant came up short twice its battle over the right to use its peanut butter trade dress in Australia.