A judge has blessed a $132.7 million settlement and a $33 million common fund order in a class action over toxic firefighting foam, saying he was “not vexed” by whether he had power to grant the funder’s payout despite the Full Court having reserved on the contentious issue.
NAB will fight a bid by a $78 million class action over the collapse of Walton Construction to add serious fraud allegations in the four-year-old case, which a judge said has been “mired in a procedural mess”.
A judge has approved a $41.45 million settlement in a pelvic mesh class action against manufacturers Covidien and TFS but has put off deciding on the costs of the firm that ran the case, saying it is “next to useless” when law firms appoint their own costs consultants.
A judge has panned as “thoroughly unsatisfactory” a draft notice informing group members in an underpayments class action against the federal government that only claims on behalf of postgraduate research students at the University of Sydney will continue.
An environment group that alleges former treasurer Josh Frydenberg rejected advice from the climate change office on a high-rise apartment development on protected wetlands near Brisbane has won access to correspondence about the project.
Pitcher Partners has lost its appeal of a decision that refused to stay a lawsuit over the accounting firm’s alleged involvement in race car driver Max Twigg’s misappropriation of $127 million from his family.
A referee will calculate individual damages for 290 former Royal Australian Navy sailors after failed attempts at a settlement in a class action against the Department of Defence, in which a judge ruled the government owed compensation.
Developer CHP Group has accused real estate agency Maison Global of having a conflict of interest while selling apartments in Sydney Olympic Park’s latest high-rise the Boomerang building due to a separate arrangement with a different developer.
The legal community has welcomed the appointment of Justice Stephen Gageler to be the 14th chief justice of the High Court, praising the judge for his “deep humanity” and unmatchable expertise in constitutional law.
The legal sector has welcomed NSW Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones’ elevation to the highest court in Australia, with former colleagues noting his legal acumen and generosity.