The lead applicant in a class action against Ford over its allegedly defective PowerShift transmission broke down after being accused of lying under oath during a heated virtual cross-examination by the car company’s barrister.
A Federal Court judge overseeing Papua New Guinean Politician William Duma’s defamation lawsuit against Fairfax Media has said he would like to move case management hearings online permanently, saying the move to virtual courtrooms was one good that had resulted from the coronavirus pandemic.
Ardent Leisure, which operates the Dreamworld theme park in Queensland, is facing a shareholder class action over a 2016 tragedy in which four people died following a ride malfunction.
Recent temporary measures by the government making it harder to bring shareholder class actions should be part of permanent reform, ASX has said, and enforcement of Australia’s continuous disclosure rules should rest with the share market operator and ASIC.
The era of online hearings during the COVID-19 pandemic has made advocacy more challenging for counsel representing parties in litigation, but a happy consequence of the virtual courtroom is an end to intimidation, harassment and in some cases bullying by male barristers and judges, female barristers have told Lawyerly.
Victoria’s lawmakers have passed a fiercely-debated bill that lifts the ban on contingency fees, making the state the first in the country to allow lawyers to take a percentage cut of any judgment or settlement in class actions.
The competition regulator has raised concerns about Google’s planned acquisition of fitness device company Fitbit, saying the $3 billion tie-up could further cement the dominance of the search engine giant in online advertising.
A powerful US business lobbying group should not be allowed to influence Australian politicians as they consider reforms to the country’s class action regime, two leading plaintiffs firms have said. But a lawyer for the group said singling it out was hypocritical given how many overseas litigation funders have hired firms to represent their interests in the current class action debate.
A judge has warned AUSTRAC that it needs to finalise its case against Westpac over anti-money laundering breaches as the regulator readies a slew of new claims, quashing any hopes of a trial this year.
The Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court told Lawyerly the court will adopt a flexible mixture of virtual and in-person hearings in the long term, as courts and the country slowly awaken from COVID-19 lockdown.