A bondholder class action against Virgin is heating up, with the airline filing a cross-claim seeking the court’s approval to demand periodic payments from the applicant to cover its costs under a contentious indemnity clause.
A judge has set down former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian’s bid to overturn a corruption finding by ICAC for a hearing in February and urged both sides to run the case expeditiously, saying speed would be a “hallmark” of the proceedings.
The Commonwealth of Australia has asked the court to throw out an adverse action suit brought by a former political staffer who says she was subjected to “a course of bullying behaviour” by South Australian MP Rebekha Sharkie.
A new report shows lawyers are already managing the risks of unknowingly facilitating money laundering and don’t need to be subjected to “an extreme, disproportional and potentially damaging AML/CTF regime”, according to the Law Council of Australia.
A class action against the AFL on behalf of players who allegedly suffered brain injuries will expand its group definition to include family members and dependents, while a competing case by the widow of Shane Tuck has been dropped.
Twenty-five barristers have joined the rank of silk in NSW, including one who represented AMP in a class action that settled for $100 million and another who is assisting the Commonwealth in its fight to recoup $325 million in excess subsidies in a dispute over generic Plavix.
Maurice Blackburn will seek $26 million in costs from a $110 million settlement in a long-running class action against AMP over its fees-for-no-service conduct, leaving more than three-quarters of the settlement to be distributed to group members.
An investigator has failed in his appeal of a $350,000 defamation award for former Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney on the grounds of apprehended bias.
Former Labor members Ian Macdonald, Eddie Obeid and his son Moses will remain in prison after losing a challenge to convictions for conspiracy to rig a tender process and secure a coal mining exploration licence for the Obeids’ land in the Bylong Valley.
A judge has raised concerns about expert evidence in a dispute between Acciona Infrastructure, Ferrovial Construction and three insurers over losses during construction of the $695 million Pacific Highway in NSW, saying the expert referral process had “gone off the rails”.
For information on rights and reprints, contact subscriptions@lawyerly.com.au
