Ashurst

A judge overseeing several cases against Optus over a September 2022 data breach has raised the possibility of hearing a class action against the telco alongside new proceedings brought by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The online safety watchdog has dropped her Federal Court action seeking to force X to put a worldwide block on graphic footage of the April stabbing of a religious leader at Wakeley, following a judge’s decision not to maintain an injunction against the social media platform.

Drug giant Pfizer has blasted Samsung Bioepis’ “fishing expedition” in its suit alleging infringement of the patent for its blockbuster arthritis drug Enbrel, telling the court the Korean biotech should not be allowed to dig for new grounds of invalidity.  

Approving a settlement between insurers and group members in an investor class action against lender Axsesstoday, a judge has aired his frustration with expansive confidentiality provisions and deeds that “misapprehend the nature of the court’s role” in dealing with group members’ claims. 

McDonald’s has hit back at a class action over alleged unpaid work done by managers before and after shifts, saying it paid more than the minimum entitlements and is entitled to set off those payments against claims for compensation. 

Otsuka Pharmaceutical has hit back at suit filed by Indian generics company Sun Pharma seeking to invalidate its patent for blockbuster antipsychotic Abilify, filing a cross-claim seeking to restrain Sun Pharma from infringing the patent with a generic version of the drug.

Noumi and ASIC are challenging a finding that the food manufacturer waived legal professional privilege over a PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by its lawyers at Ashurst by disclosing the report during an ASIC investigation.

A judge has left open the question of whether a line of authority relating to the materiality of information under the continuous disclosure regime could be relevant to a stoush between collapsed engineering firm Forge Group and Clough Group, saying the decisions may apply to cases alleging breaches of the insider trading provisions of the Corporations Act.

The e-Safety Commissioner has expanded its case seeking to have X Corp remove posts that depict a stabbing of a bishop at a Sydney church, arguing X could have done more to prevent Australian users, including children and VPN users, from viewing the videos.

Optus has lost its appeal of a decision that found the telco could not claim legal professional privilege over a Deloitte report into a major data breach, with an appeals court highlighting the lack of evidence from former CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.