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A judge has ordered the Victorian government to hand over legal documents it weighed before implementing its COVID-19 curfew, in a suit brought by a Liberal Party member that says the curfew was unlawful.
Prepping large class action for trial no reason for relief from COVID-19 restrictions, top judge says
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The need to properly prepare a large commercial class action is not reason enough to relieve lawyers of COVID-19 restrictions aimed at protecting the health and safety of Victorians, the Federal Court’s chief judge has said in explaining why he denied a bid by the Melbourne-based legal team behind the Crown Resorts class action to have the case declared a priority.
Judge shuts down Boehringer challenge to Merck Sharp & Dohme parasite patent
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Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has failed in its Federal Court challenge to a patent application for an injectable anti-parasite drug for livestock by a subsidiary of competitor Merck Sharp & Dohme.
Major insolvency reforms to reboot economy draw criticism from lawyers
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The Morrison government has announced significant reforms to insolvency laws as part of its economic recovery plan that take inspiration from US chapter 11 laws, but Australia’s peak legal body has said the timeframe for the changes and lack of consultation were “very concerning”.
Third class action filed over Victoria’s botched COVID-19 hotel quarantine program
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A class action targeting security companies contracted by the Victorian government to guard returning travellers in hotel quarantine has been launched, bringing to three the number of group proceedings filed over the botched program.
Westpac to pay record $1.3B penalty in AUSTRAC action
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Westpac has agreed to pay a whopping $1.3 billion civil penalty to resolve AUSTRAC enforcement action over the bank’s 23 million breaches of money laundering and counter-terrorism laws.
Elliott doesn’t have to give ‘full and frank’ explanation of alleged role in Banksia fee scandal
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An appeals court has set aside an order requiring Alex Elliott, the son of the funder behind the Banksia securities class action, to give a “full and frank” explanation of his role in an alleged fraudulent scheme to inflate legal fees in the case.
Clive Palmer can’t get law firm, funder docs for possible Queensland Nickel claim
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The Queensland Supreme Court has shot down an “entirely speculative” bid by two Clive Palmer-owned companies to access information held by two law firms and a litigation funder, as the mining magnate mulls a lawsuit for potential breaches of a settlement reached in the Queensland Nickel liquidation proceedings.
Funder will take loss in $7M QRxPharma class action settlement
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The funder backing a shareholder class action against the directors of pharmaceutical firm QRxPharma will not seek to profit from a $7 million settlement in order to bring about a better return for group members, a judge has been told.
Judge again rejects priority application in Crown Resorts class action
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A judge has denied a request to grant priority status to a shareholder class action against Crown Resorts that would have allowed the Melbourne-based legal team running the case to access childcare and leave their homes for work while the state of Victoria remains in lockdown.