Running a law firm is not without risk, chief among them staring down a lawsuit by a client, an ex-partner or employee, even a rival firm. Last year, Australian firms faced numerous actions alleging everything from sex discrimination to negligence.
The founder of defunct whitegoods distributor Kleenmaid faces jail time after a jury on Friday found him guilty of 19 charges of fraud and insolvent trading relating to the collapse of the company, including a $13 million fraud on Westpac.
Aldi Foods’ trade mark for one of its clothing brands has been revoked, with an IP Australia delegate finding the mark is “wholly descriptive” and incapable of distinguishing its goods.
The judge overseeing three class actions against the Commonwealth alleging contamination from the use of toxic firefighting foam at three naval bases has shot down the plaintiffs’ bid for a formal communication reminding two referees of their role in the proceedings.
Two Deutsche Bank subsidiaries have filed Federal Court proceedings against Spain seeking enforcement of a €59.6 million ($96.3 million) award for losses incurred as a result of changes in the country’s renewable regulatory framework.
National Australia Bank will be hit this year with an estimated $750 million in fines stemming from its fees for no service conduct and potential breaches of money laundering laws, analysts have predicted.
A court has slashed the costs awarded to a Tucker & Cowen name partner in a lawsuit brought by the liquidators of failed fund manager Equititrust, citing a recent High Court ruling that found self-represented lawyers cannot recover their own expenses.
Companies and other defendants forked over big sums last year to settle more than 20 class actions, with a total of at least $734 million being paid out. Here are the top 10 class action settlements and the law firms and funders that negotiated them.
The liquidators of Melbourne-based forex trader Berndale Capital have filed examination proceedings in the Federal Court seeking to question the company’s former CEO and its other directors.
The Full Federal Court has provided clarity around additional damages in patent cases by reducing the penalties liable to be paid by an Australian fencing and gate manufacturer found to have infringed a rival’s patent for a fence base.
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