Financial Services
Second CommInsure class action settles in as many days
A class action over alleged inflated insurance policy premiums charged by advisers of two Commonwealth Bank wealth management licensees has settled, the second class action over CommInsure to resolve this week.
Class Actions
Judge questions AMP class action’s bid to ‘prettify’ case on eve of trial
The applicant in a class action against AMP wants to amend the case five years in and three months out from trial, but a judge has warned he will look dimly on any changes that disrupt the evidence planned for the hearing.
Competition & Consumer Protection
End of the road for Mercedes-Benz dealers, as High Court passes up appeal
The High Court has put the brakes on a $650 million case by Mercedes-Benz dealers over the car maker's switch to a fixed-price sales model, despite acknowledging the "important issues" the appeal raised.
Appeals
High Court appeals fail in strip search case against Qatar Airways
The High Court won't weigh in on a case over strip searches of Qatar Airways passengers, following a mixed ruling that revived claims against the airline but found Qatar's aviation authority could not be sued.
M&A
Mayne turns to Takeovers Panel in latest move to salvage $672M Cosette deal
Mayne Pharma is not walking away from US drug maker Cosette's proposed takeover without a fight, filing an application with the Takeovers Panel to force Cosette to agree to the conditions needed to win FIRB approval for the $672 million deal.
Appeals
G8 Education loses appeal over ex-chair’s criminal defence costs
Childcare provider G8 Education on Friday lost a challenge to a ruling that it cover the legal costs of its former chair, who faced criminal charges that were dropped in March.
Greenwashing
AGN must detail reasonable grounds for ‘Love Gas’ ads, ACCC says
In its case accusing Australian Gas Networks of greenwashing with ads promising gas was “becoming renewable”, the consumer regulator is pushing the company to identify who it says had reasonable grounds for the statements.
Intellectual Property
Acciona takes aim at ‘hopelessly flawed’ patent suit over $511M waste-to-energy plant
Acciona is mulling a bid to summarily dismiss a "hopelessly flawed" patent suit by its construction partner on the troubled East Rockingham waste-to-energy plant project, saying it is doomed in light of a High Court decision holding a patentee’s rights are exhausted at the time of sale.
Class Actions
‘You’ve been too slow’, judge tells applicant in Sony Playstation class action
The judge overseeing a class action alleging Sony used restrictive trade practices to block competition with its Playstation store has told the applicant to get “a bigger team” on the slow-moving case.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
Groth articles in Herald Sun ‘precisely’ the journalism exempt under privacy law, court told
Herald Sun articles about Victorian Deputy Liberal Leader Sam Groth's relationship with his wife, Brittany, are "precisely " the kind of journalism protected by an exemption in new privacy laws, a court has heard.
