A report into an explosion at a major Queensland power station that left nearly half a million people without power is not protected by legal professional privilege, with a judge finding public statements about the report show it was not commissioned for the dominant purpose of providing legal advice.
The litigation funder and lead plaintiffs in a class action against Queensland-owned Gladstone Ports are in dispute over who should be engaged to act in the long-running case after the solicitor on record left Clyde & Co for a rival law firm.
Ernst & Young has won a temporary stay of a lawsuit by Billabong founder Gordon Merchant alleging the firm gave negligent advice on how to structure the 2015 sale of bio plastics manufacturer Plantic Technologies.
A judge has found that lead plaintiffs in a class action by commercial fishing operations against Gladstone Ports can bring new claims out of time, saying it would be “grossly inconsistent” if group members had broader limitation relief than representative parties.
A Queensland lawyer who sold unlawful payday loans through a sham diamond trade has lost a battle to renew his practicing certificate, with an appeals court tossing as baseless his claim that he was the victim of autism discrimination.
King & Wood Mallesons could be dragged into a class action by commercial fishing operators against Gladstone Ports Corporation over a “colossal disclosure debacle” in which the late discovery of 39,000 documents derailed a planned September hearing.
A judge has ruled the plaintiffs in the Gladstone Ports class action cannot reserve the legal costs of an application to avoid disclosure of expert reports, despite finding they had raised a novel issue.
The lead applicants in a $100 million class action against Gladstone Ports Corporation have lost their bid to shield an expert loss report from being revealed in an upcoming mediation.
A Queensland activist group has come up trumps in a drawn-out legal battle against New Acland Coal’s proposed expansion of a coal mine, with the High Court striking down previous lower court rulings giving it the green light.
The receivers for funds manager Equititrust, who are suing the name partners of law firm Tucker & Cowen, have failed in their bid to have further security for costs paid in the form of deeds of indemnity, despite telling the court that funder Vannin might withdraw its support for the litigation.