Courts have taken differing views on whether they should order class closure, which requires group members to register for a class action, and the “deadlock” may require High Court intervention or legislative amendment to be resolved, an expert has said.
A US-based animal genomics company has taken Australia’s leading livestock and dairy groups to court, alleging they have infringed its patent for a system for conducting genetic testing on beef and dairy cattle by doing genetic testing without a licence.
AMP has lost its bid for soft class closure in a class action over allegedly excessive superannuation fees, with a judge finding the court should exercise “real caution” when class closure is opposed by the applicant.
A judge has appointed a contradictor for an upcoming settlement approval hearing in a class action by financial advisers against AMP over its buyer of last resort policy, saying the funder was taking a “very large” cut of the $100 million settlement.
A judge has shut down a case by Icon against Australia’s nuclear agency over the $27 million construction of a waste treatment plant at Lucas Heights, saying the dispute should be determined by an arbitrator despite the parties waiving pre-arbitration steps.
The liquidators for Halifax Investment Services were justified in reaching a compromise settlement in proceedings against King & Wood Mallesons alleging the firm and former auditor Bentleys failed to advise the defunct stockbroker that it had to hold client funds used to trade on its online platform on trust, a judge has found.
Investment manager IOOF has failed to persuade a judge that the applicant in a failed shareholder class action should face indemnity costs for rejecting a $6 million offer to settle the case.
Competition law experts have raised doubts about changes to Australia’s merger review regime announced Wednesday, calling the reforms a mixed bag for businesses and the reduced role of the Federal Court “disappointing”.
The former head of legal for the West Gate Tunnel project has sued toll road operator Transurban, alleging she was made redundant after complaining about “a culture of fear and intimidation” on the project.
A judge has refused to redact a judgment signing off on the discontinuance of several product claims in a class action against three AMP subsidiaries after the applicant failed to gather the required evidence, saying it was not enough that the reasons “may be an embarrassment to people who commenced the proceeding”.