Companies

Lendlease has hit back at a lawsuit by a former Greenwoods & Freehills partner who alleged he was sacked for complaining about the company’s “aggressive taxation position”, claiming the partner reached out after he left the firm welcoming the chance to work with the company again.

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. 

The lead applicant in a class action against former Commonwealth Bank of Australia subsidiary Count Financial has settled individual claims in the case, which alleges the financial advisory firm charged fees for no service.

The former headmaster of exclusive Sydney school Cranbrook has settled a dispute with his former employer after it admitted a public statement concerning his management of misconduct allegations against a teacher “may have caused confusion”, but will press on with a complaint against the ABC over the Four Corners episode that sparked the controversy. 

A law firm that has gone after major banks and the federal government over their climate exposure has trained its sight on the National Australia Bank.

A three-year court battle over PepsiCo’s Monster Munch trade mark has been resolved, with Monster Energy negotiating the removal of some beverage products that would have been covered by the mark.C

The High Court has agreed to take up a dispute between SkyCity Adelaide and South Australia’s treasurer over the tax treatment of reward points that gamblers convert to gaming chips.

A former Ernst & Young partner has claimed privilege against exposure to penalty and is seeking orders to avoid filing a defence in proceedings by the Australian Taxation Office alleging he promoted tax exploitation schemes.

The Fair Work Commission has found a former PricewaterhouseCoopers director should not have relied solely on a colleague’s text message in deciding to resign while on leave, rejecting her argument that the accounting firm had essentially forced her resignation.

Fortescue has brought legal action against start-up Element Zero and three former employees, alleging “industrial scale misuse” of the Western Australian mining company’s confidential information.