Competition & Consumer Protection
BlueScope loses appeal in ACCC’s attempted price-fixing case
An appeals court has dismissed BlueScope Steel's challenge to a decision finding it engaged in attempted price-fixing and was on the hook for a record $57.5 million penalty.
Class Actions
Judge predicts companies will try to block class actions firms from teaming up
A Federal Court judge has predicted class action defendants will start arguing law firms cannot cooperate in running class actions, after a different judge hearing a case against Google recently remarked that such arrangements could be anti-competitive.
Class Actions
Expert expresses concerns about ‘spike’ in class action contingency fees
A class actions expert has found there has been a spike in contingency fee rates in Victoria over the last two years, expressing concerns that the regime enacted in 2020 may be going in a different way than intended.
Appeals
Appeal fails in attempted bid-rigging case over National Gallery tender
Industrial technology company Delta Building Automation has lost its fight over a $1.5 million penalty for attempting to rig a bid for construction work on the National Gallery of Australia.
Employment
Judge recuses himself from ‘sham contracting’ case against Uber
A judge has recused himself from hearing a 'sham contracting' case against Uber because he previously represented the rideshare giant in four similar matters when he was a barrister.
Class Actions
CBA fights class actions’ bid to keep ‘truly dead’ cases alive
Following the failure of two class actions to prove market-based loss from the Commonwealth Bank’s disclosure breaches, the bank is fighting the class actions' bid to pursue individual ‘no transaction’ cases, saying they were “trying to keep something alive that is truly dead”.
Class Actions
Law firm investigates ‘loyalty tax’ class action against Suncorp
Insurance giant Suncorp faces a class action investigation on behalf of millions of home and car insurance customers who were allegedly misled about their premiums and charged a so-called loyalty tax.
Financial Services
Westpac’s $130M settlement in flex commissions class action approved
A judge has signed off on Westpac's $130 million settlement in a class action over flexible commissions paid to car dealers, bringing to an end three cases brought by Maurice Blackburn against lenders.
Construction
Downer EDI wins spat with builder over $22M payment claim
A judge has found that builder DT Infrastructure’s application for adjudication of a $22 million payment claim against Downer EDI was discharged by Downer paying off a smaller claim of less than $1 million, which was the only amount expressly referred to in DTI’s application.
