Justice David Hammerschlag of the NSW Supreme Court has a way with words that readily lends itself to dramatic courtroom headlines. The “Hammer,” as he is known, also pulls no punches and is quick with one liners that keep counsel on their toes. Here, Lawyerly looks at some of the recent best moments inside courtroom 7D.
A new government inquiry will look at the fees and practices of insolvency professionals and whether the current insolvency system is set up to help struggling businesses turn around.
Hong Kong-based UDP was entitled to $25 million from its insurers after losing more than $30 million from its disastrous acquisition of dairy conglomerate 5 Star Foods, which had been secretly overcharging one of its biggest customers, food giant Lion Nathan Group.
Three former directors of billion-dollar financial advisory firm Linchpin Capital Group will face two days of questioning in examination proceedings filed on behalf of an investor five months after the company was wound up for running an unregistered investment scheme and misleading investors.
Ernst & Young, which is facing a lawsuit brought by the receiver of a fund overseen by failed financial services firm LM Investment Management, has lost its bid to file a claim for damages against LMIM, with a judge saying the auditor’s case was “flawed” and “counterintuitive”.
Two name partners at law firm Tucker & Cowen have lost another attempt to dismiss a case brought against them by the receivers of failed fund manager Equititrust over $17.5 million in funds allegedly obtained by deceptive means.
A partner at Big Six firm Ashurst has lost his bid to stop liquidators taking control of his Point Piper home in a long-running dispute with his ex-judge neighbour, after parts of his case were dismissed as “bordering on irrational”.
An appeals court has upheld a ruling that found two firms previously run by Joseph “Diamond Joe” Gutnik and his family were insolvent, ending a long-running battle over hundreds of millions of dollars in mining assets.
The liquidator of a subsidiary of collapsed Ambient Advertising has launched legal proceedings against the company’s director after getting the all-clear from the Federal Court to enter into an agreement with a litigation funder that will take 45 per cent of the proceeds.
A judge has urged a partner at Big Six firm Ashurst not to “keep a fight going just because you can’t let it go”, after the lawyer tried to challenge a court ruling over a long-running building dispute with his neighbour, a former Family Court judge, in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Point Piper.