Accounting
Judge flags possible referral to legal watchdog in EY, Alvarez & Marsal suit
A judge has flagged the possibility of referring lawyers acting for Alvarez & Marsal to the legal watchdog after hearing the consultant's costs of complying with preliminary discovery orders won by Ernst & Young could top $500,000.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Mastercard fights win for ACCC over in-house counsel communications
Facing allegations that it misused its market power with major retailers, Mastercard is challenging a ruling for the ACCC that lays bare discussions about merchant agreements involving inhouse lawyers.
Class Actions
Judge mulls bidding war for $549M Robodebt settlement admin gig
The judge overseeing the Robodebt class action, which settled this month for a record $548.5 million, may put the settlement administration role out to tender, saying the sum earmarked for the job was "staggeringly large".
Intellectual Property
High Court asked to decide if trespassing activists own copyright in slaughterhouse footage
An activist group has asked the High Court to overturn a decision finding it does not own the copyright for grim footage secretly obtained by trespassing at a Victorian slaughterhouse, arguing the case has consequences for press freedoms.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Meta ordered to put on defence in ACCC case over scam crypto ads
A judge has ordered Facebook owner Meta to file its defence in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s three-year-old case over scam cryptocurrency ads on the social media platform.
AI
Another judge rails against GenAI use, says even self-repped litigants must do their homework
Another judge has railed against the use of generative AI in court proceedings, after a self-represented litigant filed an application to annul his bankruptcy that was replete with fake citations.
M&A
Clayton Utz recruits private equity pro from Allens
Clayton Utz has snagged a senior partner from Allens’ mergers and acquisitions team to become its head of private equity.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Class action must wait for damages in competition case against Apple, Google
A judge has put off deciding what damages group members are owed in two class actions against Apple and Google after finding the tech companies engaged in anti-competitive conduct in the app marketplace.
Class Actions
Mulpha can’t strike out class action over Mulgoa Rise development
The developer of a 683-lot project in Glenmore Park, NSW has lost its bid to strike out parts of a class action by owners and investors alleging the land on which the development sits is unsuitable for residential construction.
Professional Negligence
Former client accuses Shine Lawyers of suing wrong defendant
Shine Lawyers has been hit with a negligence suit by a former client who says he lost the chance to recover damages in a personal injury case after the firm sued the wrong party.
