Cindy Cameronne

The ACCC’s rejection of a $4.9 billion merger between ANZ and Suncorp was hardly surprising given the concentrated nature of the home loans market, but the competition regulator faced an uphill battle in having the decision upheld, an expert says.

The ACCC’s decision to block a $4.9 billion merger between ANZ and Suncorp has been set aside, with a tribunal finding the transaction will not substantially lessen competition in the home loans market or for agribusiness and SME clients in Queensland. 

The former head of brand marketing at cosmetics retailer Mecca Brands has sued the company and its chief marketing officer for allegedly using her maternity leave as a test to see if her position should be made redundant. 

National Australia Bank has lost its bid to shield a case by a Melbourne gold bullion dealer after a judge said one of the bank’s arguments for suppression had “the air of a Kafka novel”.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has won its underpayments case against restaurant chain Sushi Bay and its director, with a judge finding the company forced migrant workers to pay back their entitlements in cash in a “calculated and institutional effort” to conceal wrongdoing. 

King & Wood Mallesons has snagged an industrial relations and employment law ace from Clayton Utz, who collaborated with the Attorney-General on implementing the recent Respect@Work reforms.

Queensland power company Stanwell has flagged a possible ‘no case to answer’ submission in an upcoming competition class action trial that would seek to shut the case down mid-trial, with a judge saying it was “highly unlikely” to succeed. 

The maker of Finish dishwashing products, RB Hygiene, has won a partial appeal in a trade mark stoush with rival Henkel, with the Full Court reviving two of its trade marks but rejecting its challenge to a logo for competing Somat-branded products.

Instagram is planning to hit Dialogue Consulting with a cross-claim that accuses the Melbourne social media start-up of breaching US law related to the protection of users’ data and engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct.

Herbert Smith Freehills has filed proceedings against its former client United Petroleum, seeking costs of successfully defending a lawsuit alleging it acted negligently in relation to the company’s failed initial public offering in 2016.