Archive 2006    

2006 News

December 2006
Handymen set new Asbestos Benchmark - December 23 2006

 Two Perth men have made Australian legal history with a hard-fought victory over asbestos giant James Hardie after low-level asbestos exposure in their homes.

Travel Agents to Sue International Airlines to recover $80 million in Commissions on Fuel Surcharges - Monday 18 December, 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon has launched a major class action against the big six international airlines who have short changed travel agents up to $80 million on ticket commissions.

National Law Firm to sponsor St Pat’s - December 18 2006
 Slater & Gordon is proud to be part of an iconic racing event – the annual St Pat’s races at Broken Hill.

Landmark Lung Cancer Asbestos Win - Saturday December 8 2006
 The legal claim by a West Australian man who died four years ago after asbestos exposure has set a new benchmark for asbestos victims.

Legal Claim on Dandenongs ‘Black Ice’ - Tuesday December 4 2006
 A motorist who survived a night beside the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road at Olinda with a ruptured aorta has begun legal action against Vic Roads.

November 2006
Public Servants free to Attend Union day of Protest - Wednesday November 28 2006
 The Full Bench of the Federal Court has overturned a decision stopping workers in the Federal Government’s Office of Employment Advocate (OEA) using leave to attend the ACTU National Day of Protest.

Broome Camel Operators Win on Cable Beach - Thursday November 15 2006
 Two Broome camel operators who have provided beach rides for tourists for 25 years have over-turned a Council decision that would have forced them out of business.

Fashion in the Courts - Thursday November 2 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon begins prosecution against 11 garment manufacturers – many of them prominent fashion labels – in the continuing battle to protect Australia’s 300,000 outworkers.

October 2006
Low Doc Loans: Overhaul Needed - October 31 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon has commended the corporate regulator for initiating legal action against a Canberra mortgage broker over low document loans.

The National Firm with local know-how - October 2 2006
 Gary Robb & Associates, a highly successful local firm which has operated in Canberra for more than 20 years, merges with Slater & Gordon.

September 2006
Shareholder Wins Non-Disclosure Claim - September 6 2006
 A shareholder and former managing director of WA-based nickel miner Jubilee Mines NL has won $1.856 million plus interest in the WA Supreme Court after the company withheld news for two years of an important nickel find on its tenement.

August 2006
US Conspiracy Ruling: Australia’s Role - Friday August 18 2006
 Australia has played a critical role in a U.S. judgement that tobacco companies conspired for decades to lie about the dangers of tobacco smoking.

July 2006
Apartment Owners to take on S8 - July 27 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon has been approached by investors with holiday units managed by Gold Coast tourism giant S8 Limited amid the growing controversy over soaring commissions

Pipeline Warning for Gippsland Landowners - Tuesday July 25 2006
 Landowners whose property may be compulsorily acquired for a gas pipeline in South Gippsland have been warned to seek expert advice before signing anything.

 Slater & Gordon Investigate Cudeco - Monday July 17 2006
 Slater & Gordon investigates a dramatic fall in the price of shares in CuDeco Ltd (formerly Australian Mining Investments Ltd).

 Paterson’s Curse Claims Settled - Tuesday July 11 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon has settled the claims of four people whose horses died after being exposed to noxious weeds after the 2003 Canberra bush fires.

Childers Inquest: Families Represented - Monday July 3 2006
 The lengthy legal battle by families hit by the Childers hostel fire of June 23 2000 continues as a coronial inquest into the deaths of 15 backpackers gets underway in Childers.

June 2006
Victorian Abestos families Win as Compensation Limits Scrapped - Wednesday June 14 2006
 The widow of a Ballarat commercial real estate agent who died early this year from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma has welcomed Victorian Government moves to exempt asbestos victims from caps on compensation.

Families take Qld. Developer to Court - Tuesday June 13 2006
 Twenty-eight families who planned a Sea Change lifestyle at the Casuarina Sands development in northern New South Wales have taken developer Consolidated Properties to court to stop the property giant cancelling their dreams.

Landowners warned on stray animals - Wednesday June 7 2006
 The lawyer for a Ballan woman who suffered catastrophic injuries after an airborne horse landed on her car says the case serves as a warning to landowners.

May 2006
Family calls for Palliative Care Review - Wednesday May 31 2006
 The family of a woman who died after being treated as a palliative care patient and denied treatment for pneumonia say they hope her death will lead to better standards of health care in WA.

Slater & Gordon to merge with 100 year old Hunter firm Reid & Reid  - Tuesday May 30 2006
 Slater & Gordon merges with one of Newcastle’s oldest law firms Reid & Reid, creating one of the largest specialist litigation and general advice legal firms in the Hunter for individuals and small businesses.

First Westpoint Investors Sue in Brisbane- Monday May 29 2006
 Australia’s first legal action for investors affected by the Westpoint collapse gets underway with five test cases issued in the Supreme Court of Queensland on behalf of investors who lost a total of $1.6 million.

The Legal Rights of People Injured in the Trawalla Train Crash - Monday May 1 2006
 People injured in train accidents may have various entitlements under the Transport Accident Act.

April 2006
Law Firm Merger to help defend Workers Rights - Friday April 7 2006
 In a move designed to strengthen legal access for workers across NSW, national law firm Slater & Gordon, merges with one of Sydney’s longest standing workers compensation and labour law firms, Maurice May Lawyers.

Record Penalty for Clothing Manufacturer - Monday April 3 2006
 In a landmark ruling the Federal Court of Australia has imposed a record $110,550 fine on an Australian clothing company for failing to comply with the Clothing Trades Award.

March 2006
Outworker Laws threatened by Federal Review - Thursday 2 March 2006
 Lawyers representing clothing workers say further Howard Government proposed IR reforms will wind back a 20-year campaign to protect local outworkers.

February 2006
Westpoint Investors to Sue - Wednesday February 22 2006
 The national law firm Slater & Gordon has confirmed it will pursue more than $200 million lost by investors in the mezzanine financing schemes associated with the failed Westpoint Corporation.

Vaccine Injury Compensation - Monday February 13 2006
 Is it time for Australia to introduce a vaccine injury compensation scheme like West Germany, the United States, England and many other countries?

$10 Crane fix after $1.35 million Injury - Friday February 10 2006
 A County Court jury awards $1.35 million to a 58 year-old Langwarrin man whose pelvis was crushed when an eight-tonne concrete panel being lifted by a crane was dropped on him.

First Court Hearing in Shareholders Class Action against Telstra - Thursday February 9 2006
 The first court hearing in the shareholder class action against Telstra for failing to release sensitive information to the stock exchange takes place in Sydney.

Sexual Misconduct victims miss out - Thursday February 9 2006
 A medico-legal expert warns that many victims of sexual assault by doctors are going uncompensated – despite suffering psychiatric injury and financial loss – because approved insurance schemes for Australian doctors generally exclude sexual misconduct.

New hearing for unique Asbestos Case - Thursday February 2 2006
 A former Wittenoom miner who developed chronic anxiety that he faces death from asbestos-related disease after the deaths of dozens of his workmates is determined to continue his 12-year battle for justice.

January 2006
Multiplex update lacks answers - Tuesday January 31 2006
 Lawyers investigating potential claims against construction giant Multiplex say their clients will be disappointed with the latest update on the troubled Wembley Stadium project.

Shareholders commence Class Action against Telstra - Friday January 20 2006
 Law firm Slater & Gordon has begun legal action against Telstra on behalf of shareholders who allege the company failed to fully inform the Australian Stock Exchange about its true financial position.

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