The directors of steel giant Arrium, which collapsed owing $4 billion in debts, should have known earlier that the company was in a “liquidity crisis” and was trading while insolvent, liquidators for the company allege.
A judge has ordered ASIC to enter mediation before heading into a “very expensive” trial with an IOOF subsidiary accused of giving shonky advice, over objections from the regulator that mediation would be “completely futile”.
Lawyerly’s Litigation Firms of 2020 delivered significant victories for clients last year in bet-the-company matters, thriving in a tumultuous year that saw courts and litigants adapt to virtual trials and other new norms that are sure to outlast the COVID-19 pandemic.
While a Federal Court judge recently promised to advance a long-running criminal cartel case against several investment banks and individuals over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement, a separate judge will soon hear a privilege dispute over documents from whistleblower JPMorgan that promises to further delay the case.
A judge has rebuked the “procedural vulgarities” plaguing a referee’s supplementary report in a class action against Toyota over allegedly defective vehicles and has called for the process to be simplified.
The daughter of property data pioneer Ray Catelan has won a legal fight with Excelsior shareholders over claims she acquired a controlling share of the real estate private equity firm while in possession of inside information that caused a dramatic spike in the company’s share price after it went public.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
Casino and mobile game giant Aristocrat Leisure has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against rival Ainsworth Game Technology that alleged a former employee stole trade secrets related to a lucrative slot machine.
A lawyer for group members in a class action against Toyota is seeking aggregate damages relating to vehicle defects that allegedly had a “significant impact” on fuel consumption.
Lawyers for the lead applicant in a stayed class action against Bayer-owned Monsanto over its weedkiller Roundup cannot access discovered documents in a separate class action against the agricultural giant in advance of mediation next year.