Competition & Consumer Protection

ASIC will press on with its case against defunct lender Oak Capital alleging the company's business model was designed to avoid consumer protections under the National Credit Code.

Monadelphous has won the post-trial reversal of a ruling that excluded some of its evidence in a $2.6 million dispute over alleged corrosion damage to a marine barge.

Electronics retailer Harvey Norman and consumer lender Latitude Finance have been socked with a total of $55 million in penalties for a misleading ad campaign seen by millions of Australians.

Shine Lawyers has won a 12-month extension to serve class actions three against drug companies that sell proton pump inhibitors.

Magnamail has defeated an ACCC suit alleging it misled customers by representing they were eligible for major prizes if they ordered from its catalogues, with a judge finding the mail order company's representation that customers 'could' win major prizes was true.

The applicants in class actions over alleged engine defects in Hyundai and Kia vehicles can file amended cases, over the objections of the car makers, which claim the new pleadings are "worse" despite millions of dollars having been spent on discovery.

A judge is not too thrilled about the ACCC's bid for details of Microsoft's defence in a suit alleging the software giant duped millions of customers into upgrading to more expensive product plans, saying "it pains me the court has to take time" to hear the application.

The competition regulator has given its draft approval to Fortnite maker Epic Games and Google for their global settlement of allegations of misuse of market power by the digital giant.

Insurer Vero may be hit with a cross-claim in a class action against Fairview Architectural over allegedly combustible cladding, a court has heard.

The sole director of WA insurance broker Dynamic Insurance can't represent the company in its competition suit against insurance broking network Steadfast Group and insurers QBE and Allianz, with a judge finding the company would be better off hiring a lawyer.