Competition & Consumer Protection
‘This is huge’: Mastercard’s anxiety about EFTPOS revealed at trial
Mastercard's Australia boss was anxious to sign a deal with Woolworths on payments processing after learning that Coles had chosen to route all debit transactions through the cheaper EFTPOS network, a court has heard.
Class Actions
Initial trial in McDonald’s class action to deal with ‘serious contravention’ claims
A judge has ruled that the initial trial in a union’s underpayments class action against McDonald’s will deal with a claim that it knowingly breached the Fair Work Act and that there was a systemic pattern of conduct.
AI
Gen AI-using director can’t rep company, court says
A judge has found a director cannot represent his company in a legal dispute, noting his use of generative artificial intelligence in written submissions.
Appeals
‘Common and ordinary’ land use no excuse for interference, court says
An appeals court has found the owners of a cotton farm in Queensland are liable for causing nuisance to their neighbours after building a flood mitigation levee, despite the levee being a “common and ordinary” use of the land.
Class Actions
Navy training class action hopeful for global settlement
A global settlement may now be within reach in a class action brought by Navy technicians over training contracts after a larger number of same group members' claims have been assessed, a court has heard.
Intellectual Property
AstraZeneca accused of ‘royal commission’ into Pharmacor’s emails with lawyers
Pharmacor has accused AstraZeneca of launching a royal commission into emails with its lawyers as AstraZeneca opposes the generic drug maker's bid to amend its pleading in a patent case over diabetes drug Forxiga.
Employment
‘Critical’ late evidence allowed in McDonald’s rest breaks class action
An employment class action against McDonald's and its franchisees has won a last-minute bid to file evidence by three new witnesses after a key witness withdrew from the case.
ASIC
ASIC launches probe into insider trading of Accent Group shares
ASIC has opened an insider trading investigation into the trading of retailer Accent Group's shares, asking the company to preserve communications by its CEO Daniel Agostinelli.
Insurance
Allianz loses bid to limit Uniting Church’s coverage to $15M
Insurer Allianz Australia has been unsuccessful in an application to limit Uniting Church's coverage for historical sexual misconduct claims to $15 million under a professional indemnity policy.
Restructuring & Insolvency
Tahmoor Coal liquidators to bring case against Gupta’s Clydesdale Engineering
Liquidators for billionaire Sanjeev Gupta’s Tahmoor Coal are planning to bring a case against secured creditor Clydesdale Engineering, challenging its entitlement to be paid out during the liquidation.
