Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has won its appeal of a $160,000 judgment in favour of former partner Thomas Martin, with the Full Federal Court finding Martin’s allegations of deceit arose from “an excess of suspicion” and “causal connections of the most tenuous kind”.
In rejecting a bid by The Star Entertainment Group to recoup losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Court’s Chief Justice did “real and unexplained violence” to the construction of a business interruption policy the casino giant had taken out with Chubb, the Full Court has heard.
A fine imposed against the Commonwealth Bank for false and misleading representations to customers should reflect offences that were “well below the midpoint” of seriousness, counsel for the bank has told a judge overseeing the first criminal case of its kind.
The Federal Court has slugged wealth management firm Colonial First State Investments with a $20 million penalty for misleading almost 13,000 superannuation members about their MySuper entitlements through a “concerted campaign” that lasted two years.
The High Court has thrown out sacked climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd’s appeal of his dismissal by James Cook University, finding protection of intellectual freedom is not a “general freedom of speech”.
The Commonwealth Bank’s wealth management unit has agreed to cough up $20 million in penalties for misleading thousands of fund members during the transition to MySuper accounts, but steadfastly maintains its conduct was not part of a “nefarious” plot for profits.
Insurers have largely succeeded in challenging COVID-19 business interruption losses claimed by a group of small businesses, in an important second test case that could save the industry billions of dollars.
Qantas has filed a bid to delay a hearing on penalty after a judge found the airline outsourced ground operations partly to prevent employees engaging in industrial action, but the TWU has said a stay would be “unfair” to 1,600 former ground staff.
A judge has signed off on a proposal by two law firms to jointly run a consolidated class action against Allianz over add-on car insurance, shooting down the insurer’s argument that a beauty contest would promote competitive contingency fee rates.
Truck company Isuzu has asked a court to shut down an $18 million lawsuit by Directed Electronics alleging copyright infringement, arguing that its own cross-claims –which substantially overlap with allegations in a 2017 case that went to trial — made it an abuse of process.