Class Actions
In Google carriage fight appeal, Piper Alderman claims law firms’ cooperation anti-competitive
Piper Alderman claims a judge erred in finding there was no evidence that an agreement between Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald to cooperate in running an ad tech class action against Google was struck for an anti-competitive purpose.
Competition & Consumer Protection
RV maker Jayco must back up defence claim in ACCC case, court says
Jayco must spell out its claim that it explained the specific features of its recreational vehicles to customers, as part of its defence to an ACCC case over alleged misleading statements, a judge has said.
Trials
Clayton Utz senior advisor can’t take witness box in ANZ whistleblower trial
ANZ can't call its former group chief risk officer — now a strategic advisor for Clayton Utz — to give evidence as it defends a whistleblower case by former trader Etienne Alexiou.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
Australian Clinical Labs agrees to $5.8M penalty over data breach
In the first penalty to be handed down for breaches of the Privacy Act, pathology services provider Australian Clinical Labs has agreed to cop a $5.8 million fine over a 2022 data breach that compromised the personal information of 223,000 customers of its Medlab business.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
Optus reports another Triple Zero outage
Optus has suffered another Triple Zero outage, just over a week after a 13-hour outage across three states that was linked to the deaths of three people.
Employment
ASX tried to silence whistleblower, hide failures from RBA, lawsuit says
A former contractor at the ASX has alleged the securities exchange was "embarrassed" by governance failures relating to a $200 million technology modernisation program and sought to hide the issues from the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Telecommunications
Telstra reaches settlement with ACCC in case over Belong speeds
Telstra has reached an agreement with the consumer regulator after a court found the telco misled thousands of broadband customers about the speed of its budget internet provider, Belong.
Energy & Natural Resources
Clive Palmer’s $300B claim over WA law shot down by international tribunal
Clive Palmer has lost a battle over Western Australian legislation shielding the state from the fallout of a decision barring a proposed Pilbara iron ore project, with a tribunal finding it had no jurisdiction to hear the $300 billion case.
Restructuring & Insolvency
Babcock & Brown liquidator settles all remaining shareholder claims
A judge has signed of on a settlement struck by the liquidator for failed financial services firm Babcock & Brown, which will resolve all remaining and future shareholder disputes, which have beleaguered the liquidator for 12 years.
Cryptocurrency
Government to require crypto exchanges to hold financial services licence
Cryptocurrency exchanges will be required to hold an Australian Financial Services Licence under proposed legislation announced by assistant treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino.
