Construction

A recent High Court decision that dealt a blow to builders and developers in NSW will usher in a return to a pre-2002 litigation regime, when plaintiffs only sued the parties with the deepest pockets, an expert has told Lawyerly. 

The owners of Perth high rise HBF House have won their bid for more documents from builder CIMIC, as they seek to prove claims that the building squeaks when the weather changes and leaks when it rains. 

Lendlease’s hopes of acquiring, subdividing and selling lots in a Campbelltown block have been deferred, with a judge finding he could not make urgent orders with a question mark hanging over the construction of a relevant deed. 

The valuer general of Victoria has told the High Court that a property in Melbourne's CBD should be valued at $6.2 million rather than $2.9 million, despite a heritage constraint on development. 

Maxcon Developments, which allegedly owes $23 million in unpaid tax, has lost its bid to stay orders winding up the business, with a judge deeming the company “hopelessly insolvent”.

Developer Schofields has won $20 million from the New South Wales government after the state failed to provide an easement or road access to land it owned for more than two years after acquiring a neighbouring lot. 

A Perth construction company still owes electrical contractor Mobius full payment for work on a Rio Tinto reinjection scheme after it was duped by a fraudulent email, with a judge calling the case "a salutary reminder" of the importance of verifying bank details.

Chinese builder Yuanda has settled a lawsuit against its former director that alleged he diverted building contracts, including a project with Lendlease, to his current employer SRG Global. 

Construction materials giant Boral has pleaded guilty to interfering with Indigenous relics at a Hobart quarry.

CPB Contractors has sued its insurers for their refusal to cover $9.5 million in costs incurred fixing defective road signs on the CityLink extension in Melbourne.