Facing allegations that it misused its market power with major retailers, Mastercard is challenging a ruling for the ACCC that lays bare discussions about merchant agreements involving inhouse lawyers.
The applicant in a class action by former RAMS franchisees can’t intervene in proceedings by ASIC against the defunct Westpac mortgage unit, with a judge finding the outcome of the ASIC case will not affect the class action.
Mastercard has lost its claim for legal professional privilege over communications between its chief financial officer in Singapore and in-house counsel about merchant agreements the ACCC alleges were anti-competitive.
Westpac’s defunct mortgage unit RAMS has accused a class action by former franchisees of attempting to “hijack” civil penalty proceedings by the corporate regulator by seeking to intervene in the case.
A judge has found that Mastercard can maintain legal professional privilege over a document that was inadvertently sent to the ACCC in 2020 after lawyers at Baker McKenzie had to review 100,000 documents in less than two months.
In a bid to snuff out the negligence claims in a recently revived case by passengers forced off a flight and strip searched at Doha airport, Qatar Airways has brought its own High Court challenge.
Five passengers who were forced off a Qatar Airways flight and strip searched at Doha International Airport have taken their case to the High Court after a finding that Qatar’s aviation authority was immune from the suit.
Mastercard says legal professional privilege remained over a document after a junior lawyer “inadvertently” sent it to the ACCC in 2020 while the credit card giant was trying to dissuade the regulator from continuing an investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct.
Five passengers who were forced off a Qatar Airways flight and strip searched at Doha International Airport have successfully appealed the summary dismissal of their case against the airline, with the Full Court finding key issues were not suited for summary determination.
Mastercard has pushed back on the ACCC’s argument that it waived privilege over communications with lawyers, saying it would “take the law of waiver to a place it has never been before”.