Region

HWL Ebsworth and former partner Dennis Bluth have been hit with a new lawsuit in the Victorian Supreme Court after allegedly providing negligent advice regarding a development in south-west Sydney.

The publisher of the Herald Sun has filed a strike-out application against novel privacy claims by the wife of Victorian Liberals' deputy leader Sam Groth, saying it was exempt as a news outlet.

A court has slapped a 14-year jail term on Perth businessman Chris Marco, after a jury found him guilty of 43 charges connected to a $34 million fraud on investors.

A real estate agency in Victoria has lost a suit seeking the payment of its advertising costs from a former client, with a judge finding that writing 'TBA' in the contract defeated the consumer protection purpose of rules for real estate agents.

In response to a High Court ruling giving the Catholic Church an out for the actions of its priests, Victoria has vowed to introduce legislation to extend the vicarious liability of institutions, a move welcomed by plaintiff law firms.

The events described by an ex-Master Builders Association board member read like a best-seller, involving as they do boardroom drama, a secret investigation and an alleged whistleblower. But as thrilling as they sound, they don't support orders for discovery against the construction lobby group, a judge has said.

Twenty-one barristers in Victoria have won the title of senior counsel, including two class action lawyers from opposing sides of the bar table who have been involved in negotiating recent blockbuster settlements.

Mining giant Rio Tinto is considering ceasing operations at Australia's largest aluminium smelter amid rising energy costs.

Alinta Energy has won an urgent injunction against former contractors working on the Wagerup power station in Western Australia, saying delays on the project have caused daily losses of $137,000 in revenue since mid-July. 

The builder and developer of Sydney's 'The Eliza' apartment building have lost their challenge to a referee report that found it was reasonable for the owners to block them from rectifying defects.