Sam Matthews

The maker of the popular Invisalign dental aligners may soon face a cross-claim from competitor SmileDirectClub, which it sued for allegedly misleading consumers about the cost and efficacy of its direct-to-consumer teeth alignment kits. 

Continuing a recent trend in class actions, a judge will appoint a referee to weigh in on Maurice Blackburn’s costs in a $56.3 million settlement in a class action against Colonial First State, but has so far declined to appoint a contradictor.

The High Court has ordered a sports association to pay $6.75 million to a woman who suffered a serious spinal injury after falling during a campdrafting competition in Ellerston, New South Wales, overturning an appeals court decision that cleared the association of negligence.

Snap Fitness franchisee Dural 24/7 has appealed a ruling that found insurer Lloyd’s could rely on a conformity clause in its insurance contract to deny coverage to the NSW gym for losses related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine-owned Fairfax Media and journalist Tory Maguire have settled a defamation lawsuit brought by feminist writer Clementine Ford over a statement Maguire made referring to “vile and personal attacks” by Ford.

A judge has rejected an application by training provider Captain Cook College to postpone the hearing of its appeal in a case won by the ACCC, saying the company’s inability to fund the appeal was “largely a problem of [its] own making.”

Lawyer and wealth guru Dominique Grubisa has been banned from providing financial services and engaging in credit activity for four years, after ASIC found she embellished her qualifications and encouraged students to improperly use Family Court listings to identify investment opportunities. 

An appeals court has found that Avant Insurance must indemnify a plastic surgeon for his legal bills and the claims of all relevant group members in a class action over alleged botched breast augmentations.

A judge has declined to award costs against a group of nurses who recently dropped their Fair Work lawsuit against Monash Health, saying the case was not “doomed to fail” and noting the “extremity” of the Victorian government’s vaccine mandate for workers.

Barristers have cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach amid calls for a return to chambers and ‘business as usual’ in the New South Wales courts.