Judges and members of Parliament will be liable for sexual harassment in the workplace under an overhaul of sex discrimination laws, the Morrison government said Thursday, but the proposed reforms were criticised by the ACTU as falling short.
The corporate cop has launched action against banking giant Westpac for allegedly selling worthless add-on credit card insurance to unwitting customers, the first of what could be a series of cases against banks in the wake of a remediation program that has returned $250 million to hundreds of thousands of account holders with 11 major lenders.
Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit is facing a second class action over its allegedly defective pelvic mesh products, following a landmark ruling that found the drug company did not adequately warn about the devices’ risks.
A judge has found that news articles published in the Herald Sun, Daily Mail and The Australian may have given group members in a class action against a Telstra contractor the āwrong impressionā that they would be exposed to a cross-claim if they failed to opt out.
A former Slater & Gordon lawyer has been reprimanded by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for “disgraceful and dishonourable” conduct in falsifying client affidavits but has avoided having her practicing certificate wholly suspended because of past mental health issues and current efforts at rehabilitation.
A judge has slugged the Commonwealth Bank of Australia with a $7 million fine in proceedings brought by ASIC for excessive interest charged to thousands of overdraft customers, but noted the penalty amounted to profits from just six hours of operation for the Big Four bank.
The Attorney-General has appointed three new judges to the busy Federal Circuit Court, including the barrister who represented Bega in a high-stakes trade mark lawsuit brought by a rival.
A lengthy dispute over insurance in a settled class action against sandalwood producer Quintis has been resolved, with the Federal Court rejecting a challenge by two insurers to the rectification of policies that could provide a further $11.25 million in recoveries to group members.
The “hypocrisy” of ABC journalist Louise Milligan in criticising the host of Media Watch for not seeking comment before a broadcast last month has aggravated the damage caused by her defamatory article, the former Attorney-General and accused rapist has told a court.
Ashurst has become the second Big Six firm to up its bonus game to reward staff for the firm’s strong performance during the coronavirus pandemic, doubling its bonus pool for the year and promising staff a one-time Ā£1,000 special reward.