The Federal Court has refused to make interim orders staving off RTBU Victorian branch resolutions directing its locomotive division to stop doing business with former divisional secretary-turned-consultant Marc Marotta, who is also servicing a breakaway union urging members to make the switch.
A full Federal Court has quashed a first-of-its-kind FWC full bench majority finding that the tribunal has the power to make a workplace determination on contested bargaining matters after an agreement has already won approval.
In a significant judgment on the statutory nature of a "proposed enterprise agreement", a Federal Court has rejected arguments that rail unions lost protection of their industrial action once the bargaining focus changed from a single to a multi-employer deal.
Two senior corporate lawyers will resume their pursuit of millions in compensation from Super Retail Group after the Federal Court rejected their claims that an enforceable settlement had already been agreed, while a full court will soon separately hear the employer's appeal aimed at suppressing details of its settlement offer.
In a speech reflecting on the concept of open justice that draws on a case involving former IR Minister Christian Porter, Federal Court Chief Justice Debra Mortimer has acknowledged there is "frustration on both sides" since the court stopped making unrestricted documents available to non-parties "as of right" before a first directions hearing or a hearing.
A full Federal Court has refused to overturn a finding that a former Qantas employee possessed the necessary mental capacity when she signed a deed in 2008 settling her claims of s-x and disability discrimination.
The FWO has further tightened the screws on franchisors after the Federal Court agreed that it fell to Bakers Delight to disprove that it is liable for half of a liquidated franchisee's alleged underpayments of more than $1.2 million.
The Federal Court has approved a $19.25 million settlement to an underpayments class action targeting Justin Hemmes' Merivale, boosted from an earlier agreed sum of $18 million.
UPDATED A High Court majority has clarified that a 115-year-old UK House of Lords decision does not bar the recovery of damages for botched sackings, restoring the award of $1.44 million to a consultant unable to work since his "sham" dismissal in 2015.
A Federal Court judge has cast doubt over a manager's $1.5 million adverse action payout in a ruling highlighting the difficulty in establishing who in large corporations ultimately makes the decision to dismiss an employee.
