In a major loss for the Australian Taxation Office, a High Court majority has found an agreement between US soft drink giant PepsiCo and Schweppes Australia to sell brands such as Pepsi and Mountain Dew in Australia was not subject to a royalty withholding tax.
National Australia Bank and its home loan lender subsidiary have been ordered to pay a $15.5 million penalty after admitting to mishandling hundreds of customer hardship applications.
EY may seek damages against rival consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal after it won preliminary discovery to pursue possible claims over a mass departure of partners and staff from its international tax practice.
The High Court has halved a $40,000 fine received by former Liberal MP Andrew Laming over three Facebook posts that breached electoral rules, finding the penalty should reflect the number of publications rather than the number of views.
A judge has refused a bid by the Port of Newcastle to make declarations following the dismissal of Glencore Coal’s case claiming it was overcharged $874,000 in wharfage fees, saying her judgment was clear on its face.
Seven Network has secured a suppression order over court documents ahead of mediation in a lawsuit lodged by a long-time producer, with a judge agreeing media access to the case may “imperil” the settlement talks.
Environmental activists seeking to block Tamboran’s gas exploration project in the Northern Territory have criticised the natural gas company’s water contamination risk assessment, telling a court it was based on a “gut feeling”.
The Port Authority of NSW has won its claim for public interest immunity over six cabinet documents in a suit by a defunct sand importer over a lease agreement for a mulit-user facility at Glebe Island, with a judge finding they had little forensic value.
GFG unit Whyalla Ports has won its bid to rub out some expert evidence put forward by OneSteel about the costs of dismantling and removing assets from the site in their dispute over control of the assets at the South Australian port.
A judge has declined to order security in developer Gilridge Investments’ payment claim fight with Diamond Builders over a $5.3 million apartment project, saying the builder failed to show the penniless developer would not be able to cover its costs after completing the troubled project.
For information on rights and reprints, contact subscriptions@lawyerly.com.au
