The court has given the green light to an amended defamation defence by Clive Palmer which accuses Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan of “disgraceful and dishonourable conduct” and abusing his position by hastily and secretly enacting legislation that barred the billionaire mining magnate from suing the state for $30 billion.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has scored a victory in its long-running case against GetSwift, with the Federal Court finding the company and its directors breached the Corporations Act and ASIC Act through their “public relations-driven approach” to announcements on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Accounting firms EY and Pitcher Partners ignored “front page news” that Slater & Gordon’s acquired business Quindell was scrutinised by a UK regulator after reporting a $250 million (£137 million) loss, a court heard on the second day of trial in a class action by the law firm’s shareholders.
A judge said he “gagged” at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s proposed $5 million pecuniary penalty in its case against specialist workplace relations company Employsure over six misleading Google ads.
JPMorgan bigwigs who are key witnesses for the prosecution in its cartel case over ANZ’s botched share placement in 2015 will be questioned by Citibank and Deutsche ahead of trial.
Big Six law firm King & Wood Mallesons has promoted managing partner of clients and mergers and acquisitions Renae Lattey to lead the firm’s Australian practice.
A trade mark attorney has sued boutique IP firm Marquette, alleging she was fired for complaining about her treatment by a supervisor who had been practising as a lawyer for less than a year.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has failed in its bid to dismiss a case brought by customers who claim they were the victims of “cuckoo-smurfing” and had funds seized as proceeds of crime because the bank breached its anti-money laundering obligations.
Accounting firm Pitcher Partners gave faulty advice ahead of Slater & Gordon’s disastrous $1.2 billion Quindell acquisition that was responsible for $800 million in the business’ value “disappearing” within six months, a court heard on the first day of trial in a long-running class action by the law firm’s shareholders.
The Sparke Helmore partner at the centre of a $1 million professional negligence lawsuit attempted to conceal an “oversight of enormous proportions” that is said to have lost a property developer two lucrative contracts, a court has heard.