Joanne Shepard

AUSTRAC has taken The Star to task for making statements that are inconsistent with admissions the casino has made in the regulator’s case over its alleged failure to comply with its money laundering obligations.

The judge overseeing AUSTRAC’s case against Star Entertainment has questioned the parties’ agreement to refer questions of fact and law to a former judge for determination, rather than an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing expert. 

Former ANZ superannuation trustee OnePath Custodians has been hit with a $5 million penalty for charging superannuation members more than $4 million in fees that it was not entitled to.

Lawyerly’s Litigation Law Firms of 2022 racked up precedent-setting victories in a year that continued to see major developments in class action law.

Liquidators for ready-made meals producer Jewel of India have lost their bid to dodge public examination over their alleged poor handling of the business’ sale and failure to investigate potential claims against the Commonwealth Bank.

In a boost to securities class actions, the High Court has ruled that directors of collapsed companies can be subjected to public examination by shareholders wanting to bring civil proceedings.

Two shareholders of failed steel giant Arrium have told the High Court that granting their bid to grill former directors of the company would not be an abuse of process because it was in the public interest to “expose” the management of the defunct business.

Two shareholders of failed Arrium Group have secured leave from the High Court to challenge a ruling that nixed their planned examination of a former director to bolster a class action over the collapse of the steel producer.

The Australian Securities and and Investments Commission has won a $57.5 million judgment against two units of National Australia Bank for making misleading representations to superannuation customers regarding $100 million in fees charged for services they never received, far short of the $125 million sought by the corporate regulator.

Liquidators for collapsed steel and mining giant Arrium have successfully appealed a court ruling permitting the examination of a former director for a possible shareholder class action, with the Court of Appeal for the NSW Supreme Court finding the “private nature” of the claims was an abuse of process.