Ashurst

A class action against the Murray Darling Basin Authority over alleged negligent water management is seeking to claim a funder’s commission as damages after a judge refused the first-ever such bid in a separate group proceeding. 

A former director of Noumi has won his challenge to the food manufacturer’s claim for legal professional privilege over a PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by its lawyers at Ashurst, with a judge finding the company waived privilege by disclosing it to Australian Securities and Investments Commission. 

An underpayments class action brought by postgraduate research candidates at the University of Sydney is facing another summary dismissal bid from the federal government, as the university foreshadows a novel argument that the group members are not employees.

Leading lawyers have welcomed a new practice note in the Commercial Court division of the Victorian Supreme Court, including a “rigid framework” to cut down on interlocutory disputation which is expected to benefit commercial class action litigants, but some say the note “should have gone further” to compel discovery from defendants.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has been sued by an employee who alleges the accounting firm is vicariously liable for an alleged sexual assault by a co-worker after an end-of-financial-year work party.

A judge has slapped the University of Melbourne with a $74,590 penalty for taking adverse action against two casual academics to prevent them from claiming payment for extra hours worked.

US animal drug manufacturer Zoetis has been granted leave to appeal a ruling that invalidated three of its patents covering pig vaccines.

ANZ has agreed to pay $57.5 million in a settlement of a class action over retrospective interest charges on credit cards.

Ashurst has bolstered its disputes team by reclaiming a senior commercial litigation partner from Clifford Chance, who has predicted more defence firms will cross over and represent plaintiffs in class actions.  

Hells Angels has asked the High Court to reinstate an award of $78,000 for online marketplace Redbubble’s infringement of its trade marks, after the Full Court found it was owed just $100 in nominal damages.