Contracts

An appeals court has overturned a decision dismissing a class action on behalf of enlisted Navy sailors alleging the Commonwealth of Australian breached a contract to train them to earn engineering degrees.

The National Australia Bank has filed a lawsuit against its Singapore-based captive insurance unit and three syndicates of global insurance giant Lloyd's seeking coverage for two consumer redress schemes related to the bank's sale of interest rate hedging products and fixed rate tailored business loans.

An appeals court has slashed a damages judgment against international banknote manufacturer CCL Secure in a case alleging it tricked its Nigerian agent into signing away his commission, cutting the award from $65 million to $1.8 million.

Industry-owned Queensland Sugar Limited has succeeded in dismissing a court case brought by Wilmar Sugar Australia after record-high rainfalls led to a $60.8 million loss in 2010.

The Democratic Republic of East Timor has lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by oil and gas firm Lighthouse Corporation over $328 million in alleged losses stemming from a failed fuel supply agreement, with a judge finding the court has jurisdiction to hear the case after an ICSID panel declined to arbitrate the dispute.

Building products supplier Wagners has taken its largest cement customer, Boral, to court in a dispute over pricing, and will take a $10 million hit to its 2019 earnings as a result.

NewLaw pioneer and founder of Bespoke Law, Jeremy Szwider, has been found guilty of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct after taking on a case he was "uniquely unprepared" to handle.

Bega Cheese has presuaded a court to allow a partner from Addisons Lawyers to access select confidential documents, expanding the confidentiality regime at the heart of its dispute with Fonterra Brands over an allegedly violated trade mark licence agreement.

A judge has rejected a bid by a group of Apache Corporation companies to break up a looming trial in a long-running dispute with WA-based oil and gas company Santos, saying holding a hearing on separate issues would not be the time saver Apache claims.

Cereal giant Sanitarium and retailer Rebel Sports have lost their appeal against a decision of the NSW Supreme Court staying proceedings against a UK marketing company in a dispute over a $1.4 million joint promotional campaign.