Law Firms

The applicant in a class action against four AMP subsidiaries and two trustees over alleged excessive superannuation fees has flagged its opposition to soft class closure, saying it would be “completely inappropriate” to require the large class of up to two million group members to register ahead of mediation. 

Instagram is planning to hit Dialogue Consulting with a cross-claim that accuses the Melbourne social media start-up of breaching US law related to the protection of users’ data and engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct.

EFTPOS provider Tyro has secured a $10 million settlement in a lawsuit accusing a unit of Canadian firm Lightspeed of violating a restraint of trade clause by encouraging Tyro customers to adopt its own competing payment system.

A Norwegian company can’t dodge service of a $2.5 million lawsuit via its Australian solicitors, failing in its argument that exceptional circumstances are needed to avoid the more lengthy and costly process of serving it in its home country.

Looking for a slice of the class actions pie in Australia, UK plaintiffs firm Pogust Goodhead has launched an office in Sydney, headed by two lawyers from boutique Crichton & Co.

Herbert Smith Freehills has filed proceedings against its former client United Petroleum, seeking costs of successfully defending a lawsuit alleging it acted negligently in relation to the company’s failed initial public offering in 2016. 

Commonwealth Bank of Australia and subsidiary CommSec have been hit with $10.34 million in penalties — the highest ever imposed in enforcement action by the workplace regulator — after admitting it underpaid thousands of employees more than $16 million.

The owner of womens’ networking group ‘Business Chicks’ has sued Fairfax over allegedly defamatory articles which she claims painted her as a hypocrite who unfairly fired a pregnant employee and fostered a toxic workplace culture. 

In a case believed to be the first of its kind, the liquidators of boiler room trader Forex Capital Trading have sued ASIC, seeking to claw back over $20 million in fines and costs they says constituted unfair preference payments and should be distributed among the company’s out-of-pocket clients. 

Maddocks has recruited a special counsel from Ashurst to head up its trade marks and brand protection practice.