Michael May

Billabong founder Gordon Merchant has won the ear of the High Court in his fight over what the ATO claims was a "wash sale" of his 10 million shares in the retailer, but the justices have also agreed to hear the tax office's appeal.

The funder behind a class action against the operator of Gladstone Port has bowed out after spending $30 million on the case, and is weighing proceedings to recover its sunk costs from the law firm that initially ran the litigation.

The Queensland Commissioner of State Revenue has lost an appeal against the Montessori Children’s Foundation after it refused the organisation's bid to be registered as a charity to avoid property taxes.

Billabong founder Gordon Merchant has lost his challenge to a decision by the ATO to increase his tax liability to $31 million, finding that he conducted a “wash sale” of his Billabong shares and engaged in dividend stripping on the sale of bio plastics manufacturer Plantic Technologies. 

Group members enjoy broader protection against the running of limitation periods than lead plaintiffs in class actions, an appeals court has said in finding that commercial fishing operators heading a class action against Gladstone Ports could not bring new claims out of time. 

King & Wood Mallesons could be dragged into a class action by commercial fishing operators against Gladstone Ports Corporation over a "colossal disclosure debacle" in which the late discovery of 39,000 documents derailed a planned September hearing.

The brother of Liberal Senator and former resources minister Matt Canavan can investigate potential claims against Glencore in his long running legal spat over the Rolleston coal mine, after a court greenlit his bid for the appointment of special purpose liquidators.

A judge has ruled the plaintiffs in the Gladstone Ports class action cannot reserve the legal costs of an application to avoid disclosure of expert reports, despite finding they had raised a novel issue.

The lead applicants in a $100 million class action against Gladstone Ports Corporation have lost their bid to shield an expert loss report from being revealed in an upcoming mediation.

A judge has rejected claims by Gladstone Ports Corporation that security for costs in a $100 million class action by commercial fishing operators should not be paid through a London-based insurer because of the impact of Brexit and COVID-19.