Two lawyers facing a lawsuit over their defection from specialist IP firm Pizzeys Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys have failed in their bid to have separate hearings in the case concerning the validity of non-compete clauses in their employment contracts.
The High Court has granted special leave in a test case by the Australian Taxation Office concerning the effectiveness of disclaimers by trust beneficiaries giving up entitlements to trust income and any associated tax obligations.
A Johnson & Johnson unit wants the High Court to review the Full Federal Court’s rejection of its challenge to a landmark class action ruling that found the company’s pelvic mesh implants were defective and that it failed to adequately warn about their risks.
Former Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson SC, who recently called for an inquiry into Attorney-General Christian Porter’s fitness for office in the face of rape allegations, will represent the ABC against Porter’s defamation claims.
Facing laws strongly favouring plaintiffs and defamation claims based on allegations of an historic rape with no witnesses, the ABC has an uphill battle in defending itself against Attorney-General Christian Porter’s case alleging the national broadcaster engaged in a campaign to destroy his reputation, experts say.
Attorney-General Christian Porter has filed defamation proceedings in the Federal Court against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan over an online article he says made false allegations against him.
Generic pharmaceutical company Sandoz has hit back in an intellectual property lawsuit by Merck Sharp & Dohme, filing a cross-claim that seeks to undo an extension of time granted to the US drug manufacturer for a patent relating to its multibillion dollar Januvia and Janumet diabetes drugs.
The judge overseeing two class actions over legal and accounting advice given ahead of Slater & Gordon’s disastrous Quindell acquisition has said he will hear the cases together, citing the “dangers” of the approach taken in litigation against GetSwift, which resulted in a judge being ordered to step down.
The Full Federal Court has tossed an appeal by Johnson & Johnson unit Ethicon challenging a landmark decision that put it on the hook for paying damages to 10,000 women who suffered injury through defects in its prolapse mesh and incontinence tape implants.
A judge has allowed a hearing on separate questions concerning the validity of a non-compete agreement in a lawsuit brought against two patent lawyers who jumped ship by boutique IP firm Pizzeys Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, despite expressing concerns that “separate questions are fraught”.