A judge has dismissed an application by Domino’s Pizza to strike out the pleadings in a class action accusing the pizza giant of making misleading and deceptive representations to franchisees which caused drivers to be underpaid.
Courts have power to order oral discovery of potential witnesses ahead of trial, according to the judge overseeing two 7-Eleven class actions by franchisees, but the cases against the convenience store giant were not the occasion to exercise the power, he said.
A McDonald’s franchisee accused of failing to give employees paid rest breaks has hit back at a lawsuit filed by the retail workers’ union, arguing its employees took their entitled breaks, but sometimes in a “non-continuous” manner.
The lead plaintiffs in two class actions against 7-Eleven have appealed a decision rejecting the very first Federal Court application for oral discovery, which would have seen four former employees bound by confidentiality agreements give evidence.
Pharmacy giant Priceline is the target of an “imminent” class action, with a group of dissatisfied franchisees accusing the company of exercising an “overly prescriptive” level of control over its franchises and fettering profitability.
A Federal Court judge overseeing two franchisee class actions against 7-Eleven has heard a landmark application for pre-trial oral discovery that could create another tool for lawyers to source evidence otherwise blocked by confidentiality agreements.
A class action by franchisees against mobile and internet retailer TeleChoice will return to the Victoria Supreme Court next week as group members seek commissions they allege have been withheld while the company battles separate litigation against Optus.
The wealthy founder of auto repair franchisor Ultra Tune has secured a temporary injunction against his ex-girlfriend and a former employee prohibiting them from distributing secret recordings after excerpts from one damaging audio file were published by Fairfax.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken franchise giant Retail Food Group to court for allegedly misleading purchasers of loss-making franchises about the profitability or viability of its stores.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has asked the High Court to find courts do not have the power to make common fund orders at settlement or judgment in a class action, one year after the High Court ruled common fund orders could not be made in the early part of a representative proceeding.