With the Australian Labor Party to form government after Saturday’s election defeat for the Coalition, class action lawyers are looking forward to reforms that expand access to justice, enshrine the court’s power to supervise costs and wind back Morrison-era legislation.
Bayer has dropped its appeal to a ruling that quashed an extension for its patent covering an oral contraceptive, after the Full Court dealt drug makers a blow in two separate cases on how patent term extensions should be calculated.
A full bench of the Fair Work Commission has reversed a decision that would have allowed employees who were lawfully demoted to challenge their demotions as unfair dismissals, in a significant finding that means employers will not be exposed to claims if they properly exercise their rights, writes McCullough Robertson’s Amber Sharp, Kerry O’Brien and Nathan Roberts.
Former One Nation senator Brian Burston has resolved court proceedings brought by a former staffer Wendy Leach accusing him of sexual harassment and discrimination.
Uber has admitted to making misleading statements to passengers and has agreed to pay $26 million in penalties in a case by the consumer regulator over the ridesharing giant’s cancellation warning messages.
Ashurst has poached legal governance specialist Miriam Kleiner from King & Wood Mallesons to join the firm’s strategic advisory practice.
Questions raised about the structure of a settlement of two wage class actions against supermarket chain Romeo’s don’t just threaten to reduce the law firm’s costs but could derail the whole agreement, a judge has said.
Novartis wants to appeal a ruling in its dispute with generic drug maker Pharmacor over patents for its multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya that tossed three of its four experts out of an upcoming so-called hot tub.
A judge has ordered that $1.27 million be set aside to cover the costs of the law firm administering the settlement in the class action over the federal government’s Robodebt scheme, cutting about $1 million from the figure sought.
WA Attorney-General John Quigley wants a second go at his trial testimony in a defamation case brought by mining magnate Clive Palmer, admitting he made “mistakes” while giving evidence in the witness box.