Naomi Sharp

A judge has handed Ultra Tune a $1.5 million fine for contempt, saying the car repair franchise failed to meet the requirements of a court-ordered compliance program, instituted after the company copped a $2 million fine for contravening its disclosure obligations to franchisees.

A judge has rejected Facebook owner Meta’s request to pause a case  by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over scam cryptocurrency ads until a private criminal action by mining magnate Andrew Forrest is decided.

A judge overseeing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s case alleging auto mechanic Ultra Tune failed to comply with court orders has labelled its managing director Sean Buckley as “one of the more dreadful witnesses” he had seen.

Collapsed vocational education provider Phoenix Institute and its marketing arm have been hit with a record $438 million penalty after a judge found they acted unconscionably and with “callous indifference” by enticing vulnerable consumers to enrol in unsuitable courses with promises of free laptops.

The former director of Select AFSL has appealed a judge’s decision to slap him with a $100,000 penalty and a disqualification order after finding he “turned a blind eye” to the life insurer’s unconscionable phone sales tactics.

Select AFSL, its related entities and its director have been slapped with $13.6 million in penalties after a judge found that the life insurer used unconscionable phone sales tactics to “wear down” often vulnerable consumers, including migrants and Indigenous communities.

A judge has imposed a $21 million penalty on Uber for misleading customers through platform-wide cancellation messages and estimated fares on its Uber Taxi option, $5 million short of the “very substantial” sum jointly agreed by the parties.

A judge has ordered Smile Direct Club and its Australian unit to pay a $3.5 million penalty and reimburse customers for misleading them into believing they would be reimbursed by their insurers for the dental care company’s costly teeth straighteners.

Facebook owner Meta has filed a bid to pause a case by the consumer regulator over scam cryptocurrency advertisements until the determination of a private criminal action brought by mining magnate Andrew Forrest.

Facebook-owner Meta has lost its bid for broad non-publication orders in its battle with the ACCC over material it says could prejudice jury members in criminal proceedings by mining magnate Andrew Forrest.