Deloitte has lost its appeal of a ruling in a shareholder class action over the collapse of Hastie Group that compelled the production of audit files taken by a partner from the accounting giant’s litigation room, in a ruling that described the actions of the partner as “bordering on contempt” and slammed Deloitte for “cynically” exploiting the situation.
Wood products giant Boral Timber has been found vicariously liable for a male worker’s sexual harrassment of a female colleague, with an appeals court overturning a ruling that it said took a judge more than six years to deliver and “regrettably” brought the administration of justice into disrepute.
Caterpillar has scored a victory in one of several legal challenges the construction equipment manufacturer has launched to protect its ‘cat’ trade marks, successfully opposing the registration of the ‘ironcat’ mark for tyres and auto maintenance.
Engineering services company CIMIC will fork over $32.4 million to settle a shareholder class action, with group members expected to get 40 per cent of the settlement total if the court approves the requested legal costs and funder’s commission.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found Barro Group’s 43 per cent stake in Adelaide Brighton, acquired over a number of years, will not harm competition in the cement market.
The national secretary of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union has filed an urgent lawsuit against union heavyweight John Setka and 29 other officers accused of poaching union members from a rival division.
The Full Federal Court has provided clarity around additional damages in patent cases by reducing the penalties liable to be paid by an Australian fencing and gate manufacturer found to have infringed a rival’s patent for a fence base.
A court has allowed a bankruptcy trustee to drop an “extremely disadvantageous” litigation funding agreement, which provided the funder with an 85 per cent commission, previously signed to pursue a Perth-based engineering and construction company.
A Federal Court judge has signed off on an $18 million settlement in a shareholder class action against UGL over its Ichthys power plant disclosures under which $8 million will be distributed to shareholders.
German cladding manufacturer 3A Composites has again threatened to call for the de-classing of a class action brought over allegedly combustible cladding, slamming the case against it as “simply shambolic” and the conduct of the applicant as “utterly irresponsible”.