Class Actions
Quinn Emanuel ducks $24M security in hotel quarantine class action
A judge has ordered the firm behind a class action over Victoria's COVID-19 hotel quarantine program to pay another $3.6 million in security for costs, a far cry from the $24 million sought by the state to cover its outlay.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Coles says discount policies justified during period of ‘dramatic’ inflation
Coles has told a court that its decision to change its discount policies was unsurprising during a period of significant inflation, denying claims by the ACCC that its ‘Down Down’ promotions were misleading.
Class Actions
AMP super members to get half of $120M class action settlement
AMP super members are set to receive $60 million in a class action stemming from the banking royal commission, with the average payout being under $100, a judge has heard.
Class Actions
‘The dead are many’: Traditional owners file class action over Wittenoom asbestos waste
Traditional land owners in the central Pilbara have filed a class action to force the removal of dumped asbestos waste, some 60 years after the Wittenoom asbestos mines closed and the town was struck from the map.
Business of Law
White & Case nabs KWM corporate partner
White & Case has lured a partner from King & Wood Mallesons with more than 20 years of experience working on private equity and mergers and acquisitions.
Trials
Not Down Down, but Up Down: ACCC says Coles hiked prices before drop
Coles increased prices on hundreds of products only as part of a plan to later mark them with a ‘Down Down’ promotion, despite the price being lower only weeks before, the ACCC has argued.
Courts
‘Our hippie’: Federal Court welcomes ponytailed public law pro to the bench
Known as a dedicated cyclist with a prodigious coffee habit, a softly spoken silk has been sworn in as a judge on the Federal Court after a career marked by a sustained interest in human rights.
ASIC
Judge stays Clive Palmer’s civil case against ASIC
A judge has stayed Clive Palmer’s case against the corporate watchdog until a criminal case against him is complete, expressing concerns about the factual overlap between the two matters.
Employment
Drop in employee’s pay, hours equals genuine redundancy, Full Court says
The Full Court has rejected an appeal by the tax office over the classification of a redundancy payment, finding that an early learning centre worker who was offered reduced hours and pay as part of a restructure was made redundant.
Energy & Natural Resources
Lighthouse’s $600M row with East Timor unlikely to settle before trial: judge
A judge has ordered oil company Lighthouse to pay further security for costs in its $600 million case against the government of East Timor, a "hard fought contest" he said was unlikely to resolve ahead of trial.
