Atanaskovic Hartnell has mostly come up short in a court battle for over $172,000 in legal fees, with a judge finding the law firm was in a “manifest position of conflict” in its dispute with two media companies defrauded by one of its former lawyers, Brody Clarke.
Westpac has admitted to millions of breaches of anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws, and has told a court it did not adequately monitor transactions of customers linked to child exploitation.
Supermarket giant Coles has been hit with a class action after revealing in February that it owes staff in its supermarket and liquor businesses at least $20 million in pay.
Medical device giant Johnson & Johnson has confirmed it will not seek the recusal of a Federal Court judge from a panel overseeing its pelvic mesh class action appeal, despite earlier raising concerns that he had seen privileged settlement communications.
Power distributor Essential Energy has appealed a judgment granting preliminary discovery to landowners to pursue a potential class action over the 2018 Tathra bushfire.
Herbert Smith Freehills has bolstered the ranks of its global financial services team with the recruitment of former Norton Rose Fulbright partner Charlotte Henry.
War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has told a judge hearing defamation proceedings against several media companies over articles accusing him of war crimes that he can only be vindicated if he is allowed to give evidence in open court, as the Federal Government seeks to impose restrictions on the case due to national security concerns.
Vocational education provider Box Hill Institute is facing a class action brought by disgruntled students who allege the licences they obtained through the institute did not provide them with the requisite knowledge or training to obtain a commercial pilots licence.
A judge has found that the High Court’s landmark ruling last year blocking common fund orders in the early stages of a class action also barred them from being made at the conclusion of a proceeding, departing from several recent rulings on common fund orders.
The settlement sum in three class actions against law firms that allegedly gave negligent advice about property investments in the now-defunct Ralan Group has been suppressed, after the court heard there was a risk of future claims being brought.