The judge hearing the ACCC’s price-fixing case against Downer EDI’s Spotless and Ventia has proposed an initial hearing to determine if the companies are in competition, saying he won’t let the case become “totally unwieldy”.
In the ACCC’s price-fixing case, infrastructure services company Ventia has joined with Spotless in arguing the companies were not in competition, and says it was the Department of Defence that arranged for the providers to talk.
Downer EDI subsidiary Spotless has rejected allegations it engaged in price-fixing with Ventia on defence contracts, saying the facilities services companies were not in competition with each other.
A key issue in the ACCC’s price-fixing case against Downer EDI’s Spotless and Ventia is likely to focus on whether the facilities services companies were in competition, a court has heard.
United Petroleum, which is facing a franchisee class action over allegedly loss-making Pie Face stores, is resisting a plaintiff law firm’s bid for “a right of veto” over the petrol giant’s communications with group members, even those not represented by the firm.
United Petroleum has given an undertaking to not contact group members in a class action against the petrol giant over the introduction of loss-making Pie Face stores, amid concerns about the treatment of franchisees participating in the case.