Allen & Overy

A $59 million settlement has been reached in a long-running class action accusing five major banks of foreign exchange rate-rigging.

The liquidators of collapsed media company Big Un are pushing for a trial date in their two-year-old case against financier First Class Capital alleging a three million share purchase was part of a fraudulent design to inflate the collapsed company's share price.

Competition law experts have raised doubts about changes to Australia’s merger review regime announced Wednesday, calling the reforms a mixed bag for businesses and the reduced role of the Federal Court "disappointing".

Blue Sky’s founder and former managing director Mark Sowerby has won orders requiring a director of US hedge fund Glaucus to produce documents relating to claims the short-seller shared information with market participants before releasing a report which sent Blue Sky’s shares into a tailspin.

A judge has ordered soft class closure ahead of mediation in a class action against five major banks over alleged foreign exchange rate-rigging, saying the applicant's subjective view on what will assist mediation should not be imposed on the banks.

A judge has questioned the applicant’s opposition to soft class closure in a class action accusing five major banks of rate-rigging, a measure the banks say could save “tens of millions” in legal expenses. 

Sydney financier First Class Capital has admitted it acquired three million shares in former market darling Big Un but has denied liquidators' claims that the purchase was part of a fraudulent design to inflate the share price ahead of the video start-up’s collapse.

Citibank has argued group members should be asked to sign on to a class action accusing five major banks of entering a cartel agreement to rig foreign exchange rates before evidence is filed in the case, saying it was impossible to know how much the claims were worth. 

National Australia Bank says employees suing the company for years of alleged unpaid overtime have failed to prove the work asked of them was unreasonable, in response to a test case that could affect up to 10,000 staff. 

Japanese oil company Inpex has lost its bid for a split trial in a dispute with insurers AIG Australia and Mitsui Sumitomo over coverage for litigation related to defects at the $45 billion Ichthys liquified natural gas project in the Northern Territory.