The settlement of three class actions brought against the Commonwealth of Australia over its alleged use of toxic firefighting foam on government military bases is facing an unusually high number of objections, pushing an approval hearing into a second day as dissenters voice their concerns in court.
Centrelink recipients eligible for a share of $721 million in refunds on debts paid as part of the controversial Robodebt scheme will not be asked to sign away their rights in an ongoing class action, but whether the Morrison Government will seek to shut down the case remains to be seen.
An appeals court has vacated orders sending opt out and registration notices to shareholders in a class action against AMP after a successful challenge by the lead plaintiff in a competing class action that was stayed after a high-profile litigation beauty parade last year.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Beem It are facing an employment lawsuit by the former CEO of the payments fintech, but details of the case have not been released pending a bid to keep the claims confidential.
A judge has questioned ASIC’s proposed $5 million penalty against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, saying it was “on the light side” for the bank’s conduct in overcharging $8 million in fees on its agricultural products.
Clive Palmer has defeated over $100 million in claims brought by the liquidator of Queensland Nickel over the $200 million collapse of the the mining company in 2016, with the Queensland politician threatening a possible lawsuit against the liquidator and the funder that backed the claims, Vannin Capital.
A judge has rejected calls to keep confidential the details of professional misconduct claims against the funder and lawyers behind the Banksia Securities class action, in a ruling that revealed that investors of the collapsed lender could recover $30 million more if allegations against the legal team are established at trial.
Bupa Aged Care has dropped a lawsuit challenging a directive by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission that it claimed overlapped with proceedings brought by the ACCC in which it was recently ordered to pay a $6 million penalty.
A Sydney solicitor has won an $84,000 defamation judgment over two “indefensible” online reviews written by a building inspector who threatened to defame the lawyer “again and again”.
AFT Pharmaceuticals is seeking to reopen a lawsuit against Reckitt Benckiser over ads for its painkiller Maxigesic after judgment was delivered in the matter, claiming the judge’s declarations contained an error, an argument slammed by Reckitt as “extraordinary”.