Courts
Judge’s ‘extraordinary’ swipe at peers may do more harm than good: expert
A judge's public shaming of colleagues for delays in judgment delivery was an "extraordinary intervention" that risked undermining confidence in the judiciary, an expert warns, as the federal Attorney-General says a judicial commission remains under consideration.
Greenwashing
ACCC takes Grill’d to court for alleged greenwashing
The consumer watchdog has taken fast food burger chain Grill’d to court for allegedly misleading consumers by overstating how much money would go towards planting trees as part of its Tree Day Tuesday promotion.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
American Express owes compensation to customer over internal breach
The privacy watchdog has ordered credit provider American Express to implement more stringent security controls and pay compensation to a customer whose information was improperly accessed by an AMEX worker they had a relationship with.
KPMG
KPMG referred to corruption watchdog after 3-month government contract pause
KPMG has been referred to the national corruption watchdog, with Greens Senator Barbara Pocock calling the federal government's three-month pause on new contracts with the auditor a “slap on the wrist with a stick of limp celery”.
Class Actions
NSW Supreme Court judge says up-front CFOs in class actions a ‘no-brainer’
A NSW Supreme Court judge looking to bring class actions back to the state says legislation that would allow common fund orders at an early stage of proceedings was a "no-brainer".
Trials
Noumi’s ex-CEO knew of ‘dramatic’ gap between reporting, reality, ASIC says
Kicking off its case against former Noumi CEO Rory Macleod, ASIC has told the court that Macleod was clearly aware of the "dramatic" difference between actual available stock and what was reported to the market in 2019 and 2020.
Class Actions
Judges should consider AI in class action beauty parades, costs assessor says
A costs assessor that works in class actions said she'll be scrutising whether firms deploy AI to save costs and suggested judges should consider firms' uses of AI when deciding carriage fights.
Chambers Russell Lawyers
ASIC director says door open for new way to prove corporate wrongdoing
An executive director at ASIC has said the High Court has “opened the door” for regulators to rely on a new way to prove corporate wrongdoing that does not require establishing that individuals within a company had a wrongful intent or relevant knowledge.
Securities
ASX agrees to $20.5M penalty on eve of trial in ASIC’s case
ASX Limited has reached a settlement with the corporate regulator just hours before a scheduled trial in a case over a market announcement that said its CHESS replacement project was “progressing well”.
Trials
‘Everyone had a chance’: Magnamail denies prize draw promotions were misleading
Mail order company Magnamail has denied allegations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it sent false or misleading promotional material implying customers were eligible for major prizes if they ordered from its catalogues.
