Six law firms are working on a consolidated trial of multiple class actions over the collapse of retailer Dick Smith, but when the trial opened in the NSW Supreme Court this week, a lone barrister appeared in court before Justice Michael Ball, amid a sea of empty bar tables. Most of the hearing’s participants joined through a virtual courtroom while members of the public were invited to watch the trial unfold on a YouTube live stream. Welcome to litigating in the age of the coronavirus.
A company that holds the copyright for the Aboriginal flag may file a lawsuit against a website that sells flags featuring the design with the words ‘Free the flag’ in the middle.
AFT Pharmaceuticals has lost its challenge to a ruling that ads claiming its painkiller Maxigesic is more effective than Nuremol were misleading and deceptive, with the Full Federal Court saying the primary judge did not err in finding the ads lacked an adequate scientific basis.
A unit of Telstra contractor Tandem has lost its bid to de-class a ‘sham’ contracting class action brought on behalf of telecommunications workers who claim they were denied benefits by being misclassified as contractors.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued guidelines on consumers’ rights to refunds if a flight or event is shuttered due to the coronavirus, saying consumer guarantees could be affected if cancellation are caused by government restrictions.
The Australian arm of French investment banking giant Societe Generale is facing four criminal charges for allegedly failing to comply with its obligations to keep client money in separate bank accounts.
Two units of AMP have paid a $536,000 penalty for failing to report derivative transactions, with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission slamming the company for “serious inadequacies” in its reporting processes.
Beer giant Lion has slapped a WA retailer with a trade mark lawsuit over an offensive t-shirt that features the mark for its Emu Export beer with the words “wife basher” emblazoned across the top.
An employee in Allens’ Brisbane office may have been exposed to the coronavirus, according to the firm, which has ordered that all staff begin working remotely as of Wednesday.
The number of lawyers working at home continues to grow as the coronavirus spreads in Australia, with four law firms ordering staff to pack up and work from home, and more expected to follow their lead.