Judgment

A judge has rejected a bid to amend a shareholder class action against Beach Energy, saying the way the applicant had articulated its case on loss by reference to an expert report was “apt to lead to confusion”.

Accenture has lost its bid for summary judgment in a former HR exec's case alleging she was booted from her role after raising concerns the company could be liable for $40 million in backpay.

A Toorak developer has been barred from calling on nearly $500,000 in security, with a court finding an allegation against contractor Kronstruct was “irrational and misconceived" and did not result in the alleged $1.6 million loss. 

A former client of a Sydney law firm has lost his bid to up a $300,000 damages award against the firm over a defective notice in a proposed $7.8 million land sale.

The High Court has thrown out Victoria's $4,970 cap on political donations months ahead of the next state elections, finding the law is unconstitutional and unlawfully benefits the major parties.

A lesbian activist group has succeeded in setting aside a decision that upheld an Australian Human Rights Commission decision denying it permission to exclude transgender and bisexual people from its events.

In the first shareholder class action to succeed at trial in Australia, a judge has found logistics chain company Brambles breached its continuous disclosure obligations in relation to an overly rosy 2017 financial forecast amid problems with its North American pallets business.

The funder that's backing a class action over land compulsorily acquired for Sydney's WestConnex road project has been ordered to pay security in satellite proceedings seeking to claw back $1.4 million in costs from the lead applicants.

Queensland developer York Property has lost its appeal of a ruling that held an adjudicator erred in finding $4.7 million in costs over alleged façade defects should be deducted from amounts owed in a payments spat with a builder Tomkins. 

A deed of company arrangement for three companies associated with developer Descon-Adcon has fallen apart after former boss Danny Isaac failed to make a $5 million contribution required under the rescue plan.