Companies

It was "fundamentally wrong" that AMP Financial Planning paid consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers significantly more to review a court-ordered remediation than was paid to customers who suffered loss after an adviser churned life insurance policies for higher commissions, a judge has said.

Westpac, Macquarie and ANZ are seeking class closure orders ahead of mediation in three class actions over flexible commissions schemes, telling a court hearing they will be “completely at sea” without a better idea of the class size.

Apple can argue an Australian non-practicing entity that claims its patents for a remote entry system were infringed by the tech company's Touch ID and Face ID technology are invalid because of a Hewlett Packard handheld device that was first sold in 2000. 

SMBC has been cleared to add more claims to its $34 million suit against Humm Group after the fintech's subsidiary allegedly misled the Japanese bank about worthless receivables under contracts said to be forged by a Forum Group entity.

Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has lost his defamation case against Nine-owned Fairfax, with a judge finding Thursday it was true that Australia's most decorated soldier committed civilian murders in Afghanistan.

With truth on its side, Nine's defeat of soldier Ben Roberts-Smith's lawsuit was a huge win for investigative journalism in Australia, but while it might make lawyers blink before bringing defamation cases, the victory is not a game-changer, experts say.

BHP has admitted it underpaid mine workers $430 million for over a decade by improperly deducting leave for public holidays.

A company backed by private equity giant TPG which was allegedly fooled into paying part of a $1 billion deal to the wrong company wants default judgment in a case against the accused scammer, but a judge has raised doubts about attempts to serve the lawsuit.

A class action of bond holders accusing Virgin Australia of failing to disclose its true financial position in a 2019 prospectus for a capital raising wants a contentious indemnity clause in the airline's DOCA narrowed, in proceedings a judge has said “increasingly resemble a farce".

Accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann has discontinued his case alleging News Corp and journalist Samantha Maiden defamed him with the publication of two articles on the alleged assault of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.