The timing of an email from a Herbert Smith Freehills solicitor alerting the Fair Work Commission to union contempt proceedings, which the firm argued early this year was grounds for halting the amalgamation of the CFMEU with two other unions, points to ‘a high level of collusion’ to block the merger, a judge said Tuesday.
Lawyers for two competing class actions against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia over breaches of anti-money laundering laws say the cases can happily co-exist, but whether the court will agree may well depend on the outcome of a closely-watched appeal in a separate battle over multiple proceedings.
A judge on Friday will hear arguments in a bid by BHP Billiton to halt a class action over the mining giant’s Brazilian mine disaster, a sweeping case filed on behalf of investors who held the company’s shares in Australia, the UK or South Africa.
Two generic drug makers have lost their bid for confidential documents related to Neurim Pharmaceuticals’ patents covering sleep drug Circadin, with a court ruling legal professional privilege was waived in a phone conversation between a DLA Piper lawyer and the company’s founder.
Cash Converters has been ordered to turn over information on people it provided payday loans to in Queensland in a class action alleging it charged a brokerage fee to borrowers for services they never received.
The former CEO of organic baby food producer Bellamy’s Australia has lost a legal battle over $1.2 million in options she claimed she was owed as part of a long-term financial incentives scheme.
Johnson Winter & Slattery has been pulled into a class action against failed educational training company Vocation and its auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers, with the auditor saying the firm’s advice to Vocation constituted misleading and deceptive conduct.
The Fair Work Commission has said Qantas doesn’t need its approval to hire Herbert Smith Freehills to assist it in an appeal in an unfair dismissal proceeding.
Sydney landmark Luna Park has lost a challenge to a ruling that rejected a construction permit for a new amusement park ride dubbed the Flying Carousel.
AMP has hit back against claims in the first of multiple class actions it faces, saying its practice of charging fees for no service did not warrant disclosure to shareholders. And despite sacking its GC for the extent of his exchanges with Clayton Utz over a report into the practice, the company now says the number of interactions was exaggerated.