Judgment

The mayor of a Perth local council has been awarded $250,000 in damages for defamation against a constituent who made a series of Facebook posts falsely alleging that he was misusing a public office.

A court has largely set aside examination orders against executives and solicitors for oil and gas company Moreton Resources and MRV Metals, finding they were an abuse of process. 

Merck KGaA has failed to block Pfizer’s 'Abrysvo' trade mark for its RSV vaccine, with a delegate finding no likelihood of confusion with the mark for Merck’s Mavenclad MS drug despite their visual similarities. 

A judge has refused to bifurcate a dispute between Smart Trikes and Target over the supply and eventual recall of allegedly unsafe convertible strollers, finding any time and cost savings were likely to prove illusory. 

A Queensland solicitor has been fined and reprimanded for sending a letter that “grossly exceeded” an assertion of his client’s rights and making an allegation that was not “reasonably justified” in a family law case. 

A judge has declined to extend an injunction that barred ASX-traded Structural Monitoring Systems from sacking its CEO after he launched whistleblower proceedings against the aerospace company.

A judge has declined to reinstate the ex-CEO of sustainable building not-for-profit Australia Passivhaus Association while her suit alleging she was unlawfully terminated after complaining about serious governance issues moves forward. 

A director of developer Villawood has lost his bid to bring an alternative claim in his case against the company’s subsidiary alleging he is entitled to part of a property said to be worth $295 million.

Perth builder Cooper & Oxley has partially succeeded in appealing an adjudicator's determination in a payment dispute related to the $16 million redevelopment of the Hamersley Public Golf Course near Perth.

A judge has rejected a former SBS employee’s case alleging she was unfairly dismissed due to her need to work from home for medical reasons, finding it was an "inherent requirement” of her role that she come into work.