Damien McAloon

Twenty-one barristers in Victoria have won the title of senior counsel, including two class action lawyers from opposing sides of the bar table who have been involved in negotiating recent blockbuster settlements.

A judge has declined a creditor’s bid to wind up Victorian builder Roberts Construction Group, finding that the application relied on a “very modest” debt and involved a solicitor’s email “cast in threatening terms”. 

A Victorian construction company is fighting a bid by a creditor it says should not be allowed to “come out of the woodwork” and take over the winding up application of a company that has since been deregistered.

Collapsed Roberts Co Victoria will oppose a creditor’s bid for an extension in a case seeking to wind up the construction company, claiming it is “effectively on death row” and suffering reputational damage.

A franchisee class action against United Petroleum over alleged loss-making Pie Face stores has been ordered to hand over $3.7 million in security, with a judge finding it was not likely to stultify the class action.

The fact that at least three funders are open to backing a franchisee class action against United Petroleum should doom the class action's opposition to the petrol chain's bid for $2.3 million in security, a court has heard. 

A judge has criticised a law firm for allocating only two solicitors to its class action against United Petroleum over the installation of alleged loss-making Pie Face stores. 

United Petroleum and director Ari Silver can wait for the rehearing of a security for costs bid before filing defences to a franchisee class action alleging misleading conduct.

The judge overseeing an $100 million class action against NAB over the collapse of Walton Construction has rejected the bank’s bid for soft class closure ahead of mediation.

The former general manager of iProsperity has lost his challenge to the collapsed fund manager's liquidators getting more time to investigate $18 million in payments he received, with the Full Court finding they were not wrong to prioritise investigations into $62.5 million in payments to Crown and The Star.