Sophie Callan

A senior barrister acting for a class action over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam on military bases has slammed an upcoming mediation as a “solemn farce”, as the federal government has said it will not be ready to commit to a settlement. 

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.

A judge has found a law firm’s estimated fees for representing the Commonwealth in a class action over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam on military bases are excessive, noting the government has already forked over $12 million in defence costs.

Gold Coast ‘finfluencer’ Tyson Scholz provided illegal financial services by giving tips on his Instagram account and to customers who paid for access to his seminars and ‘Black Wolf Pit’ chat room, a judge has found.

The self-declared “wolf trader” of the Gold Coast, Tyson Scholz, has won his bid to exclude ASIC’s evidence about the meaning of his tweets in its case accusing him of providing unlicensed financial services.

A judge has questioned how the government can enforce a “restrictive” undertaking with a former member of the Australian Defence Force who will give key evidence in a class action alleging the Commonwealth contaminated Indigenous land with toxic firefighting foam.

A class action alleging the federal government contaminated Indigenous land with toxic firefighting foam has lost a challenge to a report by a scientist who declined to find that the foam could cause adverse health effects including immunosuppression and interfere with the efficacy of vaccines.

Allianz Australia and its travel insurance unit AWP Australia have been hit with $1.5 million in penalties in ASIC’s case alleging the insurance companies misled customers while selling travel insurance on Expedia websites.

A former Deutsche Bank executive named in a criminal cartel case over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement says the charges against him are defective and should be quashed.

The banks and high-ranking executives targeted in pared-down criminal cartel proceedings over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement are taking new steps to shut down the long-running case, including further probes into the ACCC’s conduct during its investigation into the alleged cartel.