Litigation

Gas giant Woodside has hit back at claims by activist groups that the federal environment minister's department "negotiated" with the company ahead of approving a 40-year extension to its North West Shelf project.

CS Energy wants a judge to recuse himself from hearing IG Power's $1 billion lawsuit over "catastrophic" incidents at the Callide coal-fired power station in Queensland in light of an earlier judgment in proceedings by the Australian Energy Regulator.

Activist group Friends of Australian Rock Art have alleged environment and water minister Murray Watt "cherry picked" potential economic and social benefits of Woodside's North West Shelf project while ignoring the harms.

Westwood Capital has lost its appeal over a contract to sell commercial property in Punchbowl for $100 million, after a judge found it was an uncommercial transaction and that Westwood had reasonable grounds to suspect the purchaser would become insolvent.

Developer LBJ wants to amend its case over a residential development at Victoria's Lilydale Quarry weeks out from trial, with its joint venture partner arguing the court should not base its decision on LBJ's argument that there could be a sinkhole at the site.

Communications between the environment minister's department and Woodside over the gas company's controversial North West Shelf project raised concerns about the apprehension of bias, activist group Australian Conservation Foundation has told a trial judge.

Queensland-based NextDC is facing a lawsuit from an enterprise account manager who alleges the data centre giant shortchanged him on commissions for contracts at its Melbourne and Sydney data centres.

A judge has been convinced by the “slenderest of margins” to allow a Canberra developer to amend its case against two contractors over the collapse of a shoring wall and piers, finding that the current case could not be maintained against the builder. 

A law firm has prevailed in a fight over unpaid legal fees, with an appeals court ruling the firm is entitled to priority over certain funds recovered in a receivership of a South Stradbroke resort because of its equitable lien over costs orders it secured for its client.

The owner of the Oaks Hotels & Resorts is facing a class action by landlords who allege the hotel operator misrepresented that it was entitled to reduced rent payments during the COVID-19 pandemic.