Declan Roche

A judge that granted carriage of a Google ad tech class action to Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald has reiterated concerns that such cooperative arrangements between firms could breach competition law.

A judge has spiked Piper Alderman's class action alleging Google abuses its dominance in digital advertising, favouring a competing case run jointly by two other firms, despite suggesting such arrangements hinted at lawyers “passing the prize around”. 

Glencore Coal has lost its case against the Port of Newcastle alleging it has been overcharged shipping fees based on a determination by the competition watchdog.

The judge overseeing two competing class actions against Google has issued a warning to law firms that agree to team up and work on a class action together, saying that in other markets such arrangements might be viewed as “something akin to a cartel”.

The judge hearing the ACCC’s price-fixing case against Downer EDI's Spotless and Ventia has proposed an initial hearing to determine if the companies are in competition, saying he won't let the case become “totally unwieldy”.

In the ACCC’s price-fixing case, infrastructure services company Ventia has joined with Spotless in arguing the companies were not in competition, and says it was the Department of Defence that arranged for the providers to talk.

Downer EDI subsidiary Spotless has rejected allegations it engaged in price-fixing with Ventia on defence contracts, saying the facilities services companies were not in competition with each other.

A judge has found that Queensland-based mining equipment company Qteq and its chairman engaged in cartel conduct, including attempting to rig a multi-million dollar tender. 

A failed class action against Queensland utilities Stanwell and CS Energy can't delay payment of what might be in excess of $30 million in defence costs while it pursues an appeal, but has dodged a penalty for running a case the companies said was hopeless.

A judge has accepted Mitsubishi’s argument that an investigation into the fuel consumption of its Triton cars is protected by litigation privilege and should not be handed over to a class action.