Business Law Library & Tracker
Selected Business Law Cases
Short explainers for court decisions that change how Australian businesses handle contracts, staff, customers, IP and company duties.
Sources last reviewed 8 June 2026
Main law guides
297
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
22
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
496
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
110
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpOlsen, in the matter of Babyskin Laser & Cosmetic Clinic
Voluntary administration is not just a pause button. For a small company, the second creditors' meeting can decide whether the business is sold, rescued through a...
On Clouds v Cyclonic
Brand clearance is not just a database exact-match search. A short added ending can still be too close if customers are likely to remember the dominant part of the...
Origin Net Pty Ltd v Origin Energy Limited
If your business is in Federal Court proceedings, do not assume you can fix a weak discovery strategy later by calling it a review. This case draws a sharp line...
Orikan v Vehicle Monitoring Systems
A patent is only as strong as the specification behind it. Product businesses should make sure the patent teaches the real implementation, records the best known...
Our Jim & Felicja Superfund v Lindenfels
Shareholder oppression claims are not a shortcut around a hard bargain. If a shareholder agreement, agency agreement or offtake agreement gives someone a commercial...
Palmer v Australian Securities and Investments Commission (No 3)
If your business, director or manager is facing both ASIC action and criminal exposure, do not assume a separate civil proceeding is the best way to challenge the...
Pandey v Dr Tiffany Tam Pty Ltd
If your business is in a post-judgment costs dispute, start by identifying exactly where you are in the Federal Court process. Ask whether the step you want to...
ParcelTools Pty Ltd v Method Industries Pty Ltd
Read this case as a warning about mixed signals in commercial structuring. The Court did not finally decide that there was a binding joint venture, that ParcelTools...
Pett v National Disability Insurance Agency (No 2)
Business owners should read this case as a document-handling and litigation strategy decision. The Court protected the spreadsheets because of a particular...
Peymani v Posh N Polished
Small employers should treat commission disputes, proposed role changes and termination communications as legally sensitive from the first email. A messy breakup...
PPK Mining Equipment Pty Ltd v G.E.T. Engineering Pty Ltd
If your business is in Federal Court proceedings, do not build your litigation strategy on the assumption that the other side must notify you before seeking leave...
PSC AMGI WSC Pty Ltd v J&P Capital Insurance Pty Ltd (No 2)
The strongest lesson from this case is settlement discipline. If your business signs a deed to end a dispute, make sure the deed clearly states each step, the...
Qi, in the matter of S&Q Group Pty Ltd (No 2)
Business owners should read this case as a reminder that court procedure is not secondary to the real commercial dispute. If your company is sued or faces a...
Qoria scheme of arrangement
Schemes of arrangement depend on disclosure, ASIC process and shareholder meeting mechanics. If a company is pursuing a merger or acquisition by scheme, the booklet...
Quach v Registrar of Trade Marks (No 2)
If your business loses a trade mark opposition before the Registrar, check three things straight away: the deadline, the correct appellant, and the actual grounds...
Quarter Turn Pty Ltd v Reinteractive Pty Ltd (No 5)
If your business may need to sue over a failed project, identify every head of loss early and keep your evidence aligned with it. This case shows that it is not...
Quarter Turn Pty Ltd v Reinteractive Pty Ltd (No 6)
Business owners should read this as a case about discipline in running a claim, not as a ruling on whether the contract claim itself succeeds. The Court accepted...
Ramoo v Grow Trade Finance
Director guarantees and trade finance variations need careful signing mechanics. If a director signs both for the company and personally, later increases to a...
Reabel (in substitution for Henry) v Sandlewood Aboriginal Projects Limited
Businesses should read this case as a reminder that litigation run on behalf of a company is a governance process as much as a legal one. If court leave was needed...
Reiche v Neometals
Whistleblower complaints should be handled with a clean, documented reason trail. Even when a company ultimately defeats a claim, termination or redundancy after...
Reiche v Neometals Ltd (No 4)
The practical message is that costs recovery can continue during an appeal unless the court orders otherwise, but the court may pause the step that most directly...
Rix Electrical Contracting v Aitchison
Liquidation claims against directors can turn into settlement enforcement very quickly. If a director settles claims for insolvent trading, director-related...
Rizkalla v CDC Geelong
Fair Work general protections disputes need disciplined records and disciplined pleadings. Employers should be able to separate safety complaints, union activity,...
Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (Suppression Orders)
The practical message is straightforward. If your business needs confidentiality, protect it early and operationally. In this case, the Court accepted that the deed...
Rock Solid Mining Services administration appointment
If a company appoints an administrator, the board resolution and insolvency opinion need to be properly recorded. A messy appointment can create avoidable...
Rogers v McDonald's Australia
Rostering systems need to deal with real work, not just rostered shift boxes. If managers or staff are expected to open, close, prepare, reconcile, clean up or...
Roohizadegan v Technology One (No 7)
Fair Work litigation is not always risk-free on costs. A party that runs an over-wide case or rejects a serious settlement offer after the evidence has shifted can...
Rosemont Capital Investments v Weinberg
If money is advanced for a specific purpose, the documents and emails need to match the way the money is actually used. A director or founder who redirects...
SCL AUS v Kirkalocka Gold SPV
A deed of company arrangement can reshape contract rights that look future-facing. If your business relies on royalties, caveats or transfer restrictions,...
Scorpion and the Frog liquidation
If a company acts as trustee, liquidation can become messy fast. Trust deeds, appointment powers, asset records and family or beneficiary disputes should be clear...
Scott v Khouri, in the matter of Skycorp Construction Group Pty Ltd (in liq)
Directors should read this case as a warning about both solvency management and litigation response. If a company is under pressure, you need to monitor whether it...
Secretary v AG Therapeutics
Marketing agencies can be exposed when therapeutic goods campaigns cross legal lines. Liquidation may pause ordinary civil proceedings, but it will not necessarily...
Secretary v Key Promotional Products
Businesses importing, supplying or advertising regulated health products must verify the exact ARTG status before sale. Saying a product is TGA approved when it is...
Shaw v The Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (No 2)
If your business is in Federal Court proceedings, treat the hearing as the main chance to deal with costs, especially if you need unusual wording in the final...
Sillery Pty Ltd v CHA SMG Australia Holding Pty Ltd
If your company is handling a shareholder exit, do not treat transfer timing and valuation disclosure as separate issues. This case shows they are closely linked. A...
Slater v Ecosol
Shareholder oppression proceedings are not a second run at a company dispute that has already been fought somewhere else. If a business sale or board dispute is...