The operators of Sydney’s Lane Cove Tunnel can rely on new expert evidence in their lawsuit against Thiess, John Holland and CIMIC over alleged defects in the construction of the billion-dollar tunnel, with a judge finding there is a public interest in discovering the true cause of any defects.
The law firms and barristers who defended former Dick Smith directors in sprawling litigation over the failure of the electronics retailer earned close to $68 million in fees, a court has heard.
National Australia Bank and HSBC should be “jointly and severally liable” to pay a portion of the costs of a failed case brought by Dick Smith’s receivers against the company’s former directors because the banks stood to gain financially if the lawsuit was successful, the NSW Supreme Court has heard.
A class action against Irish insurer Zurich Insurance Plc by unit owners of the defective New Zealand-based Victopia Apartments can proceed in Australia after the NSW Supreme Court ruled the case could not be filed elsewhere.
Dick Smith’s former CFO will appeal a $43 million judgment in favour of National Australia Bank over his role in the retailer’s collapse.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
A NSW council has agreed to fork over $16 million to settle a class action over a 2009 rubbish tip fire, after the High Court declined to hear the council’s challenge to a ruling that found it was responsible for the damage caused by the fire.
The builder behind the ill-fated Opal Tower has lost its opposition in the NSW Supreme Court to a $3.9 million guarantee requested by the property’s developer, after a judge found it had not proved compliance with its contractual obligations.
A former Norton Rose Fulbright partner has lost his bid to block King & Wood Mallesons and two barristers from representing the law firm in a long-running feud over his termination, with an appeals court calling his allegations against the legal team “unfounded and misconceived”.
Lawyers for Norton Rose Fulbright have flagged their “very real concerns” about further delays to a long-running dispute with a former partner, who has indicated the will try to appeal a ruling partially granting him leave to appeal a discovery decision in the case.