Judges

Private construction company Hutchinson Builders has brought legal action against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, seeking to quash what it says is an invalid notice to produce documents to the regulator, which has vowed to bring cases against the construction industry this year.

A judge has told off the Fair Work Ombudsman for seeking penalties of up to $94,000 in a case alleging Norwegian shipping company Transpetrol underpaid seafarers more than $255,000 in wages, saying she "overreacted".

A 2014 bushfire sparked by a termite-infested electrical pole that destroyed 57 homes was the fault of sub-contractor Thiess Services and the owner of the land on which the pole sat, a court has found.

The lead applicant in an $84 million class action against labour hire company WorkPac has been given the green light to intervene in an appeal that will clarify the definition of casual work for Australian employers.

AFT Pharmaceuticals has accused rival Reckitt Benckiser of using the court as a "clearance house" to beat its competitors, the latest development in a long-running dispute over AFT's Maxigesic ads.

Kmart has been ordered to produce more documents related to changes made to the designs for its men's cargo pants and shorts in a lawsuit alleging it violated the copyright for workwear company Globe International's clothing designs.

Ultra Tune is challenging a court ruling that socked it with a $2.6 million penalty in a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleging it misled a prospective franchisee about the costs of buying an outlet in Parramatta, Sydney and tried to cover up its conduct with "manufactured" evidence.

Electricity retailer Click Energy has been ordered to pay $900,000 in penalties for misleading consumers about discounts on their energy bills.

AMP will challenge the admissibility of an expert report central to ASIC's case over alleged insurance churning by one of the wealth manager's former financial advisers, after a judge called on the regulator to be more transparent about its communication with the experts in the case.

A Federal Court judge has criticised a Federal Circuit Court judge for the "professional discourtesy" he showed in his treatment of an Iranian refugee's case, including delaying publication of judgment for 75 days after delivering his reasons orally.