Over and out: Chief Justice says protocol needed to prevent overtalking in virtual trials

The competition watchdog has signed off on the $16 billion acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries by Asahi after the Japanese beer giant offered to shed key beer and cider brands to seal the deal.

Barristers for the ACCC and online retailer Kogan have been asked to robe up at home as the previously in-person trial shifts to videochat in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

An appeals court has found that parties forced to conduct hearings via telephone or video conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are not disadvantaged by the new arrangements, refusing to delay the appeal of a $2.5 billion contractual dispute concerning the Ichthys gas project in the Northern Territory until the parties can appear in person before the court.

Ashurst has brought on former Deloitte senior partner Philip Hardy to help launch its consulting arm to compete with the big four firms, and the law firm says Hardy’s experience will be an asset as it manages the challenges of COVID-19 on clients’ businesses.

Tasmanian state-owned ports company TasPorts has admitted to charging additional fees to the owner of a local port, but has denied the ACCC’s allegations that these actions constituted a misuse of market power designed to stymie competition.

A judge has decided not to hold a virtual trial in a long-running dispute between Guy Sebastian and his now self-represented former manager Titus Day over allegedly unpaid entitlements, due to difficulties in judging witness credibility and because Day might have a challenging time litigating online.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found Bunnings’ $30 million takeover of Adelaide Tools and Oaklands Mower Centre would not substantially lessen competition, but warned it would closely scrutinise future moves that would further cement the hardware giant’s dominant position.

A judge has ordered that Joseph ‘Diamond Joe’ Gutnik’s Merlin Diamonds be wound up after the mining company’s provisional liquidators uncovered “serious contraventions” and a […]

The Kingdom of Spain is facing yet another Federal Court enforcement proceeding over its ill-fated renewable energy initiative, this time by a Luxembourg-based renewable investment […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened the door to a host of potential class actions involving claims of government negligence, employment law, product liability and consumer […]