Herbert Smith Freehills

The corporate regulator has appealed a Federal Court decision that rejected part of its case against HCF Life Insurance over a pre-existing condition term in its policies that was found to be misleading but not unfair.

In the third decision approving an unaltered group costs order at the resolution of a class action, a judge has OK'd an $85 million settlement by ANZ, representing a $21 million payday for Maurice Blackburn.

The state of Victoria has attacked the “magical thinking” of a class action over its COVID-19 hotel quarantine debacle, as the applicants seek to plead an alternative case holding the state responsible for a wave of infections.

An activist group which unsuccessfully challenged the government’s approval of a wind farm in North Queensland because of its effects on rare birds has lost its bid to dodge costs on public interest grounds, with a judge saying both sides sought to advance the public interest.

Payments processing company EML has agreed to pay $37.3 million to settle a shareholder class action over its alleged failure to disclose Ireland central bank’s concerns with its anti-money laundering compliance.

A judge has OK'd a settlement in a class action against Treasury Wine Estates, along with $27 million in fees charged by Maurice Blackburn and Slater & Gordon, after initially questioning the difference between the firms' rates.

A judge has recused himself from hearing a class action against Fletcher Building, and has imposed a ban on presiding over any cases involving Maurice Blackburn for a period of time.

The state of Victoria has sounded alarm bells about an amendment application by a class action over the COVID-19 hotel quarantine debacle, telling a judge it amounts to a new case with an “infinite number of permutations”.

Optus has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty in a case brought by the ACCC, admitting the watchdog's allegations that staff pressured customers into buying phones they couldn’t afford.

Carpet giant Godfrey Hirst has brought proceedings against its former general counsel and former law firm Piper Alderman, alleging they were involved in a scheme to give confidential information to a rival