Companies

A senior partner at a Sydney-based law firm has denied he made a "deliberate decision" to withhold advice from a former client suing for alleged breach of duties and conflict of interest over a rejected $4.45 million settlement in an employment dispute with Westpac.

A group of media companies are appealing a groundbreaking defamation ruling that found they are liable for third-party comments made on their Facebook pages.

A judge has refused an application to suppress the identity of a franchisee giving evidence in two class actions against 7-Eleven despite the individual's fears he may lose his franchising licence as retaliation by the global convenience store giant.

The Federal Court's top judge has urged ASIC and ANZ to continue their "litigation good faith" in the corporate cop's action over $35 million in allegedly illegal customer fees charged by the bank, and cautioned the two sides against slogging it out with a "staged trench warfare" mentality.

After defeating the corporate regulator's case alleging it breached responsible lending laws, banking giant Westpac has won a reprieve from lodging a defence in a related class action.

A judge has sent insolvency firm Ferrier Hodgson back to the drawing board to redraft its pleadings against the former directors and auditors of collapsed construction company Forge Group, warning that the overlapping actions were at risk of becoming an “unrideable bull”.

Fairfax Media has challenged a judge's "gravely serious" suggestion that one of its journalists lied about a confidential source, during the first day of a two-day appeal hearing over a $280,000 defamation judgment awarded to Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing.

A judge has ordered ASIC and defence shipbuilder Austal to try to narrow the scope of documents at the centre of the regulator's case challenging the company's claims of legal professional privilege.

Insurance company Allianz Australia will need set aside an extra $250 million in capital until it strengthens its risk management, making it the fifth financial institution to be slapped with additional requirements by the prudential regulator.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is preparing to launch five ground-breaking court cases against internet behemoths Google and Facebook, the regulator's chair, Rod Sims, said Tuesday.