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The High Court has unanimously dismissed an appeal by Qantas over its decision to outsource its 1,700-strong ground crew at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that employers are prohibited from taking adverse action in relation to existing as well as future rights.

The High Court will deliver judgment Wednesday in an appeal by Qantas over its decision to sack its ground crew at the height of COVID-19, a ruling that could determine the scope of adverse action protections under the Fair Work Act.

A judge considering bids to de-class COVID-19 business interruption class actions has said group members can sign up for the representative proceedings but later decide to make claims directly with their insurers.

The High Court has rejected an application by a Sydney barrister to hear his case over $320,000 in disputed fees, saying the appeal was not a suitable case for ventilating issues over the operation of terms in costs agreements rendered void.

The High Court won't hear an appeal in a case by Acciona and Ferrovial against three insurers over coverage for loss and damage resulting from heavy rainfall at the site of construction of the Pacific Highway in northern New South Wales.

A shareholder in Adero Law has brought proceedings seeking access to the law firm’s books and records for the period in which the firm was running numerous underpayment group proceedings. 

Legal bodies have expressed alarm at the implications of a ruling that put a judge on the hook for damages for ordering the wrongful imprisonment of a Queensland man and have called for legislative action, but one expert says the judgment is unlikely to open the floodgates.

Two barristers have been elevated to the Federal Court bench, including a silk known for his work in employment class actions.

A 16-year battle between the federal government and drug maker Sanofi-Aventis over an allegedly unjustified court order that prevented the release of a generic version of blockbuster blood-thinner Plavix has gone to the High Court.

The government has agreed to acknowledge that climate change is a systemic risk that could affect the value of its bonds in order to resolve a class action on behalf of sovereign bond investors over its climate disclosures.