Litigation

Facing a lawsuit over cladding by the owners corporation of a $66 million Erskineville, Sydney apartment complex, builder Richard Crookes has brought its own claims against fire safety consultant Jenson Hughes.

Liquidators appointed by the court to five companies behind $130 million worth of construction projects in Brisbane have won more time to bring potential claims while they investigate several matters, including an allegedly “very odd” tax situation.

An appeals court has relaxed freezing orders against Sydney property developer Golden Rain, allowing it to sell property to repay its debts while it defends a $26 million defects claim by the owners corporation of the Sugarcube Apartments and Honeycomb Terraces developments.

Shell is facing $30 million arbitration proceedings from Indian renewables company Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy stemming from agreements to construct and operate the Gangarri solar farm in Queensland.

Dexus has dragged five of its insurers to court seeking indemnity for more than $16.5 million in remediation costs stemming from alleged defects in the waterproofing system that was installed as part of the $150 million redevelopment of Sydney's MLC Centre.

Airport operator APAC says a default notice sent to Dexus over confidentiality breaches is at least valid against shareholders that initiated a botched sales process, hedging its bets in an appeal of a ruling that forces a sale of the asset manager's entire stake.

An appeals court has granted a builder's appeal in a dispute over payments for work on the Seasons of Perth hotel, finding the strict one-day deadline for serving an adjudication review application under Western Australia's Security of Payment Act is a jurisdictional requirement. 

Utility Sydney Water has claimed privilege over hundreds of documents said to reveal advice about its obligations when compulsorily acquiring land, in a dispute with a property owner over 21 hectares of land in Rosehill.

Real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield has settled a suit by a former managing director who alleged he was unfairly terminated to prevent him from keeping a $1.5 million sign-on bonus. 

The owner of a proposed shopping centre development in Melton is appealing a Victorian Supreme Court order that it return $1.5 million to a defunct developer that allegedly breached a $30 million land sale contract.