Trials
Woolworths faced loss of status with Mastercard if it used EFTPOS, trial told
A trial judge has heard that Mastercard's top Australian executives discussed stripping Woolworths of strategic merchant status if the supermarket giant routed customer transactions through the cheaper EFTPOS network.
Transportation & Infrastructure
Atlas Arteria urges shareholders to reject IFM’s $7B hostile takeover offer
Private toll road operator Atlas Arteria has urged shareholders to reject a $7 billion hostile takeover offer from IFM Investors that allegedly undervalues the company.
Class Actions
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.
Class Actions
ANZ may be on hook for $102.5M bill after losing class action
ANZ's New Zealand unit says it may be on the hook for $102.5 million (NZ$125 million) after losing a class action alleging it failed to repay fees and interest wrongly charged to customers who took out home or personal loans.
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.
Discrimination
Sydney Uni academics warn case becoming another royal commission
Two Sydney University academics facing discrimination suits over alleged antisemitic statements have argued proposed amendments risk blowing up the cases into "another royal commission".
Class Actions
Navy training class action hopeful of 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.
Appeals
Ex-Neometals employee loses whistleblower appeal
The Full Court has tossed a former Neometals employee's appeal of his failed whistleblower case, finding the company did not believe he had made a protected disclosure when making him redundant despite the company conceding that the was "somebody who frequently raised issues".
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.
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.
