Judgment

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.

A judge has approved a $40 million settlement in a shareholder class action against collapsed engineering firm RCR Tomlinson, with almost half of the settlement to go towards a funder’s commission and legal fees. 

Unable to convince an appeals court that a common law right of appeal exists, disgraced former barrister Norman O'Bryan has failed in his challenge to findings of fraud in a judgment stemming from the Banksia class action saga.

The owner of a major coal power station in Western Australia has lost its bid for an inquiry into alleged misconduct by the receivers of collapsed Griffin Coal after they tried to avoid obligations under coal supply agreements, with a judge saying the allegations were "relatively trivial". 

The founders of streetwear retailer City Beach have won a fight with the ATO over the taxation of a $52 million disposal of pre-capital gains tax assets.

Mayfair 101’s James Mawhinney has defeated bankruptcy action by the owner of marketing firm 360 Degree Media, who claimed the founder of the beleaguered wealth management business owed him $3.5 million. 

The corporate regulator is on a winning streak in its greenwashing cases, with a judge rejecting Active Super's attempt to qualify its “unequivocal” statements about limiting its investment in companies connected to gambling and coal mining.

The High Court has dismissed an appeal of a decision which found Indonesia's national airline could avail itself of foreign state immunity to defeat a winding up application.

Unanimously dismissing an appeal by thoroughbred breeding and horseracing giant Godolphin, the High Court has ruled on the proper construction of a tax exemption for rural land in NSW.

The co-owners of Pacific Werribee shopping centre in Victoria have largely won their bid for insurance documents as they weigh a second case against collapsed construction company, allegedly worth up to $335 million.