The third judge assigned to oversee a lawsuit filed against law firm Norton Rose Fulbright by a former partner has refused to recuse himself on the grounds of apprehended bias, despite being accused of behaviour that was “grossly disrespectful”, “absurdly obtuse” and “fundamentally lacking in logic”.
The Federal Court has partially struck out publisher Pan Macmillan Australia’s defence in a defamation case brought by Sydney identity Thomas Domican over a “fleeting reference” in a book by nightclub magnate John Ibrahim.
One month after Japanese shipping company K-Line was hit with a $34.5 million fine for cartel conduct, Norwegian shipping firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean AS has said it will plead guilty to one charge of criminal cartel conduct for its role in the same scheme.
Actor Geoffrey Rush has come up short in his bid for an injunction blocking The Daily Telegraph from repeating allegations in the successful defamation case he brought against the publisher, with a judge citing the public interest in free speech and the lack of foundation for the actor’s concerns.
3A Composites has slammed the pleadings in a class action against it over allegedly combustible cladding, questioning whether the stated common issues are actually common to all group members.
Norway-based shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean AS has become the third international shipper to be charged with price fixing in Australia, just three weeks after Japan’s K-Line was hit with a record $34.5 million fine over the same alleged cartel.
Fairfax Media has challenged a judge’s “gravely serious” suggestion that one of its journalists lied about a confidential source, during the first day of a two-day appeal hearing over a $280,000 defamation judgment awarded to Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing.
AFT Pharmaceuticals has challenged a Federal Court decision that found its Maxisegic ads were misleading and deceptive, saying the judge “set the bar too high” by requiring it to prove there was an adequate scientific foundation for its painkiller representations.
German cladding manufacturer 3A Composites has denied that its cladding is unsafe and caused class members loss and damage, instead pointing the finger at unknown third parties and arguing the Federal Court does not have jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has dropped its contempt of court case against the owner of a Cairns tour company after an appeals court set aside the tour operator’s conviction and panned the sentencing judge for his “egregious” conduct.