Piper Alderman claims a judge erred in finding there was no evidence that an agreement between Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald to cooperate in running an ad tech class action against Google was struck for an anti-competitive purpose.
The Full Federal Court has tossed Latitude Finance and Harvey Norman’s appeal of a ruling that found the retailer’s ads touting ‘interest free’ payment methods were misleading.
A judge that granted carriage of a Google ad tech class action to Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald has reiterated concerns that such cooperative arrangements between firms could breach competition law.
A judge has spiked Piper Alderman’s class action alleging Google abuses its dominance in digital advertising, favouring a competing case run jointly by two other firms, despite suggesting such arrangements hinted at lawyers “passing the prize around”.
The judge overseeing two competing class actions against Google has issued a warning to law firms that agree to team up and work on a class action together, saying that in other markets such arrangements might be viewed as “something akin to a cartel”.
A court has foreshadowed a fight between two competing class actions against Google over alleged abuse of market dominance in digital advertising.
A judge has deferred the question of what penalties Harvey Norman and Latitude Finance should face in a case by ASIC until their appeals are heard, noting the “regrettable” fragmentation of the case.