Arnott’s and Campbells have settled a lawsuit brought by Goodman Fielder accusing them of infringing its ‘Plantry’ mark under which it sells plant-based frozen meals, after the cookie company filed a cross-claim seeking to have the mark cancelled.
At least 60 class actions were filed in Australian courts from July 1 last year to April 30, marking a record for new group cases in a financial year with two months to go, according to a preliminary report by King & Wood Mallesons’ disputes resolution team.
A judge has refused to sign off on $13.8 million in fees sought by law firm Maurice Blackburn as part of a $44.5 million settlement in a class action against Woolworths, saying the amount was “intuitively out of the range” of what was a reasonable legal bill for the case.
A nearly 100-year-old Bordeaux estate that makes the Vieux Château Certan wine, which retails for at least $500, has taken a Tasmanian winemaker to court for allegedly trying to hijack its name and making knockoff wines that copy its distinctive pink lid and neck of its bottles.
A former Westpac banking veteran and whistleblower has sued the Big Four bank, claiming she was dismissed in retaliation for complaints filed about the bank’s risk and compliance failings.
Several banks and executives facing criminal cartel charges over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement have won access to interview notes taken by whistleblower JP Morgan prior to it being granted immunity, which the banks say will prove inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
Telstra has been fined $50 million for using unconscionable tactics to sign up more than 100 Indigenous customers with post-paid mobile plans they didn’t understand and could not afford, the second highest penalty ever imposed for consumer law violations.
A judge has awarded four sample group members in the Queensland floods class action $1.28 million in compensation, finding that charitable payments did not affect the amount of interest payable on the damages they are owed.
A mid-trial settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by the liquidators of collapsed steel giant Arrium against 10 former company directors and officers for allegedly engaging in insolvent trading.
A $440 million settlement by the State of Queensland and dam operator Sunwater resolving a class action over the 2011 Queensland floods has been approved by a NSW judge.