Region

One of 50 subcontractors left unpaid after Victoria's Department of Education nixed three construction project contracts with failed builder Roberts Co (VIC) is set to join in proceedings seeking declarations under a deed of company arrangement. 

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.

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.

A Heran Group unit has lost its challenge to orders that $4.8 million be paid to a Queensland builder from an escrow account held by HWL Ebsworth amid an appeal in its dispute over a $128 million contract for beachfront apartments. 

Office provider Servcorp may amend a lawsuit against former MLC Centre owner GPT alleging it failed to disclose plans for major redevelopment works on the Sydney CBD high-rise before they signed a lease in 2014.

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.

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.

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. 

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