The Federal Court has delayed a 15-day hearing in a pneumococcal vaccine patent dispute between Merck Sharp & Dohme and Pfizer after the sudden death of a family member of one of Pfizer’s expert witnesses.
A judge has refused a bid to bring claims against law firm Herbert Smith Freehills in one of three lawsuits that will soon head to trial over the $4 billion collapse of steel giant Arrium Group.
The Full Federal Court has granted a limited appeal in the Kingdom of Spain’s challenge to a judgment enforcing a $375 million arbitration award over two renewable energy investments, ordering a redrafting of the primary judge’s orders but rejecting claims that Spain was immune as a foreign state from enforcement of the award.
A $25 million settlement has been reached in three long-running shareholder class actions over the collapse of electronics retailer Dick Smith, under which the funders that backed the litigation will not recover their costs and shareholders recoveries will be small.
Data technology company Sarb Management Group has been granted leave to amend its patent infringement cross claim against Vehicle Monitoring Systems in a lawsuit over Melbourne parking detectors, claiming VMS’ patents for the device should be revoked because one of its key inventors’ contribution is not recognised.
Building products supplier Wagners has successfully challenged a Queensland Supreme Court judgment ruling in favour of Boral in a high-stakes cement supply dispute between the construction giants.
While there was no shortage of pain and challenges for law firms as the coronavirus raged across the globe last year, a number of big firms also felt the sting of litigation from disgruntled clients, partners and employees.
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.
The ACCC has taken legal action against women’s activewear company Lorna Jane for allegedly representing to consumers during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Australia that its anti-virus activewear would protect them from viruses, including COVID-19.
Former BlueScope general manager of sales and marketing Jason Ellis has been sentenced to a wholly suspended prison term of eight months after pleading guilty to obstructing a price fixing investigation.