Justice Sarah Derrington

Linchpin Capital liquidators have resolved their case against Grant Thornton and Moore Stephens, a year after a court found the evidence on its face established a claim against the auditors.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has argued the relief sought in proceedings against the director of two Paladin Group units does not constitute a penalty, as it challenges his reliance on the privilege against self-exposure to penalty.

Carnival PLC has denied that a passenger, whose husband contracted COVID-19 and had to be put on a ventilator, had a “horrible” time aboard the ill-fated Ruby Princess, in a class action’s appeal of a finding that she was only entitled to $4,000 in damages.

A class action against Carnival over a COVID-19 outbreak aboard its Ruby Princess cruise ship has told the Full Court the lead applicant is entitled to damages “far in excess” of the $4,000 awarded by the trial judge for distress and disappointment.

Cruise operator Carnival PLC has mounted a cross-appeal aimed at overturning a judge’s finding that it negligently failed to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship, telling the Full Court that the primary judge’s findings were not consistent with his reasons.

An arrangement to restructure Queensland labour hire services company Comlek has survived a challenge by the state’s revenue office, which wanted the business wound up, claiming the restructure was against public interest and commercial morality.

A director of two Paladin Group units is entitled to rely on the privilege against self-exposure to penalty in defending a case brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, a court has heard.

An appeals court has granted the Commonwealth’s bid to suppress material relating to its “conduct after capture” training in a discrimination case brought by a former ADF member, finding that a document is not in the public domain simply because it is available for inspection on the court file.

A judge has ordered Western Australian biotech Holista Colltech to pay a penalty of $1.8 million for making misleading representations to the market about sales of its natural sanitiser product during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hit its CEO with a four-year ban. 

Queensland power company Stanwell has flagged a possible ‘no case to answer’ submission in an upcoming competition class action trial that would seek to shut the case down mid-trial, with a judge saying it was “highly unlikely” to succeed.