A court has ordered James Cook University to pay over $1.2 million to a controversial climate change professor who was sacked in a manner the judge found “reprehensibly unfair” and an “egregious abuse of power”.
Google will need to mount a full defence over its liability for defamatory material in search results, after it lost its bid for summary dismissal of a second claim brought by a South Australian doctor over the availability of ‘Rip-off Report’ posts.
Electronics giant LG has been ordered to pay a $160,000 penalty after its call centre workers misled two complaining customers about their rights to replace a faulty television or get a refund under the Australian Consumer Law.
Recent high-profile court losses will do nothing to deter the competition and consumer watchdog according to ACCC boss Rod Sims, who says he “does not want a 100 per cent success rate” because it would mean the regulator was not being sufficiently aggressive.
Two Westpac units have been hit with a class action over allegedly excessive superannuation interest rates, the third class action filed as part of Slater and Gordon’s $1 billion ‘Get Your Super Back’ campaign.
The judge overseeing a group of class actions against car manufacturers over faulty Takata airbags has questioned a simplified group registration and opt out process proposed by the law firm leading the cases, saying it would “invite a moronic approach” to sign up.
Aged care provider Estia Health has launched a bid to strike out the pleadings in a Phi Finney McDonald-led shareholder class action, accusing the law firm of making “speculative allegations” in the hope of strengthening its case later on.
The Full Federal Court has dismissed Linfox’s $45 million fuel tax credit appeal, finding the Australian logistics company’s argument was ‘too weak or uncertain’ to conclude that it was being over-taxed on major toll roads across the country.
A shareholder class action against mineral sands producer Iluka Resources has locked in litigation funding, ending months of uncertainty about the fate of the proceedings.
A judge has consolidated two concurrent cases against the former directors and auditors of collapsed construction company Forge Group, after warning the overlapping actions needed to be carefully managed to avoid it becoming an “unrideable bull”.