Property owners are fighting arguments that claims in a class action over allegedly combustible cladding do not fall under a $190 million insurance policy’s definition of property damage, saying installing the cladding was like “dousing one’s house in kerosene”.
Insurer for cladding manufacturer Fairview Architectural, Vero Insurance, will argue a $190 million policy does not cover claims in a class action alleging combustible cladding caused losses for property owners, a court has heard.
Soldiers who took the stand for Ben Roberts-Smith in his defamation case against Fairfax colluded on the evidence they gave of key events, counsel for Fairfax has told a judge as a long-running trial comes to a close.
Trial plans in accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against Nine have hit another roadblock because of COVID-19 restrictions, less than two weeks before the hearing is set to resume, with the media giant now suggesting a move to Western Australia.
The Commonwealth does not have to hand over health advice given to the National Cabinet concerning Australia’s COVID-19 response and vaccine administration to the applicants in three lawsuits contesting compulsory vaccination orders by the NSW Health Minister.
A judge has found three lawsuits contesting compulsory COVID-19 vaccination orders by the New South Wales health minister should be heard together given the importance of avoiding competing judgments in the cases, which raise questions of public interest and drew tens of thousands of viewers to a live streamed hearing.
Trial in war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case over articles accusing him of war crimes has been adjourned until November in light of the current COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney, which a judge noted could be extended beyond the month of August.
A witness for two Nine-owned newspapers sued by Ben Roberts-Smith has been accused of fabricating a story that the war veteran kicked his step-uncle off a cliff before ordering him to be shot to gain compensation from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
Australian soldiers who raided a village in Afghanistan were “infidels” and the people they killed were “martyrs”, an Afghan villager related to a man allegedly murdered by veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has told a court.
A communications device was planted on an unarmed Afghan villager who was allegedly murdered by former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, a court overseeing the accused war criminal’s defamation trial has heard.