Climate change
Climate change not a judicial ‘no-go’ zone, class action tells appeals court
Hotly contested political issues should not be considered a judicial "no-go zone" that leaves policy decisions on climate change outside the reach of the courts, a landmark class action has told an appeals court.
Courts
Retired NT judge to face former associate’s harassment complaint
A retired Northern Territory judge faces allegations of sexual harassment by a former associate after failing in his challenge to a decision allowing the complainant to proceed with the case, filed more than a decade after the alleged conduct.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Harvey Norman, Latitude hit with $55M in penalties in ASIC case
Electronics retailer Harvey Norman and consumer lender Latitude Finance have been socked with a total of $55 million in penalties for a misleading ad campaign seen by millions of Australians.
Article
Law firm ‘encouraged’ by J&J’s $7.9B talc settlement in US
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $7.9 billion to resolve multi-district litigation in the US alleging its talcum powder caused cancer, a settlement Shine Lawyers said was a positive development as it readies for a first case management hearing in its class action.
Professional Negligence
Cottle family group units bring $280M negligence suit against Nexia, PwC
Several entitles in the Cottle family group, which owns construction company FDC Construction & Fitout, have won more time to serve a $280 million negligence suit on accounting firms Nexia and PricewaterhouseCoopers over more than two decades of tax and financial advice.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
Origin Energy says data of 900K customers accessed in cyberattack
The information of 900,000 current and former Origin Energy customers was accessed during a recent cyberattack, the company has revealed.
Employment
‘Justice is supposed to occur in the open’: Court rejects suppression bid in NextDC case
A Federal Court judge has rejected a suppression order application in a lawsuit by an enterprise account manager against data centre developer NextDC, saying it was “an affront to principles of open justice”.
Class Actions
Court approves $18.1M settlement in Sydney Trains class action
A judge has approved an $18.1 million settlement in an underpayments class action against Sydney Trains, with $2 million to be deducted for legal costs.
Employment
H&M settles case by former Australian head of human resources
Clothing giant H&M has resolved a lawsuit brought by its former head of human resources in Australia, who accused the company of breaching employment laws.
Restructuring & Insolvency
Jones Day nabs Milbank partner for restructuring team
Jones Day has recruited Milbank's head of APAC restructuring for the global firm's Sydney office to bolster its insolvency practice.
