Queensland

Payday lender Sunshine Loans has been hit with $5.5 million in penalties for charging vulnerable customers almost $300,000 in fees, with a judge giving limited weight to its claim that it relied on legal advice when introducing the unlawful charges.

A $1 billion dispute between the owner and manager of the troubled Callide power station in Queensland will be reallocated, after a judge conceded that his knowledge of a key expert report could create an apprehension of bias. 

HopgoodGanim Lawyers has strengthened its construction practice with the appointment of a new partner from Thomsons.

A developer has succeeded in overturning a ruling that it owes $6.1 million in damages to an off-the-plan buyer after it sold two Brisbane penthouses to other buyers for more than double the original contract price.

A court has denied Queensland builder Beech Constructions leave to proceed against a subcontractor who built a service station wall that collapsed within days, finding that a near-decade delay warranted the case’s dismissal. 

Starbucks has prevailed in a bid by a landlord of the coffee chain's Ripley, Queensland outlet to set aside a demand for $450,000 as part of a rent dispute.

Property developer Immerse Projects 16 has lost a fight over a proposed Gold Coast apartment tower, with a Queensland court siding with local residents, who argued the project didn't comply with height and density rules for the area.

A judge has ordered a Mills Oakley partner to pay his former law firm over $300,000 after finding he had overdrawn his share of the partnership income.

Clive Palmer's fugitive nephew and one-time Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink has been found guilty of contempt for failing to comply with orders for him to be examined by liquidators.

Holding Redlich has hired six new lawyers, including two partners, to bolster its dispute resolution practice in Melbourne and Brisbane.