Lawyers pursuing a class action against Scenic Tours on behalf of passengers whose European cruises were interrupted by severe flooding have been granted preliminary discovery as they weigh a second multi-million dollar class action against the company over cancellations caused by last year’s severe drought conditions.
An investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has come under fire by the banks and directors targeted in a criminal case over alleged cartel conduct that claim the regulator “contaminated” key evidence and improperly used material supplied by ASIC.
A judge has urged a partner at Big Six firm Ashurst not to “keep a fight going just because you can’t let it go”, after the lawyer tried to challenge a court ruling over a long-running building dispute with his neighbour, a former Family Court judge, in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Point Piper.
Proposals by Australia’s banks to revise its code of conduct in line with the recommendations of the banking royal commission don’t go far enough, the consumer watchdog said Friday.
United Petroleum has been hit with legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman, which accuses the petrol retailer of failing to produce records as part of an investigation of workplace breaches.
Supermarket giant Coles has lost an appeal over $40 million in tax credits it had claimed for fuel that evaporated or leaked from tanks at its service stations, after a judge described the supermarket giant’s argument as “artificial”.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Committee has flagged preliminary competition concerns and called for public submissions on a proposed sale by US-based timberland investment manager Resource Management Service of its Tasmanian assets.
IOOF subsidiary Australian Executor Trustees has been hit with an $80.6 million judgment after breaching its duty as trustee in the sale of a 42,000 hectare timber plantation by collapsed forestry giant Gunns Group, and it can’t pass the liability on to Spark Helmore, despite the law firm’s inadequate advice.
A group of Sydney commercial landlords whose properties were compulsorily acquired for the WestConnex project have lost an appeal seeking $56.5 million in compensation, after the Valuer-General offered them just over half that amount.
A judge overseeing a settled class action against failed Banksia Securities has rejected an application to limit a contradictor’s investigation of alleged professional misconduct on the part of the legal team and funder behind the case, saying he was satisfied there was a proper basis for the allegations.
For information on rights and reprints, contact subscriptions@lawyerly.com.au
