A fair trial cannot be conducted in a virtual courtroom, the judge overseeing the criminal case against former NSW Labor ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald has said in adjourning their hearing for five months.
Fashion designer Victoria Beckham has lost her opposition to two trade marks owned by Sydney-based skincare company VB Skinlab, despite IP Australia finding the former Spice Girl’s VB marks have a reputation in Australia.
Herbert Smith Freehills is reducing partner profit distributions as part of cost-cutting measures in the face of uncertainty wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, and staff salary reviews have been postponed by six months.
Two gynaecologists have lost their bid to dismiss a negligence lawsuit brought by a patient implanted with a Johnson & Johnson pelvic mesh device found by a judge overseeing a related class action to have been defective.
Event promoter TEG Live will refund $5 million to more than 5,000 sports fans who bought 20,000 tickets to see the Boomers play USA and Canada last year, after admitting it made misleading claims about seating at the basketball games.
Bracing for a slowdown in work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and calling on its staff to “face this situation together”, Norton Rose Fulbright is reducing pay and hours by up to 20 per cent for the majority of its 1000 lawyers and support staff in Australia.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has launched proceedings against investment firm Mayfair 101 Group and Mayfair Platinum accusing them of misleading advertising.
Noting the challenge of searching for documentary evidence while employees are working from home, a judge overseeing two consumer class actions against ANZ and Westpac has directed the banks to hand over only a limited number of documents to the applicants, and given them extra time to do it.
Police have launched a criminal investigation of the circumstances surrounding last month’s docking in Sydney of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which is now linked to 11 deaths from COVID-19.
Treasury Wine Estates has said it will vigorously defend a shareholder class action filed this week over a recent earnings downgrade, one of two possible class actions the wine producer could be facing over the announcement.