ASIC
Westpac agrees to $20M penalty in ASIC case against RAMS
A judge has raised concerns about whether an agreed-to $20 million penalty against Westpac's defunct home loan subsidiary RAMS is enough to deter other lenders from breaking credit rules.
Tax
Oracle wins stay of dispute with ATO over royalty tax
Software giant Oracle has won its bid to stay a $252 million fight with ATO over royalties, with the Full Federal Court finding the cases would not provide guidance in 15 other software disputes about the operation of the royalty tax.
Employment
Westpac employee told WFH ‘no substitute for childcare’
Westpac has lost a dispute with a part-time employee who asked to work from home to care for two young children and was told by a manager that “working from home is no substitution for childcare”.
Accounting
BDO points finger at Dubber CEO, solicitor in defence to $26M case
Auditor BDO has hit back at a negligence suit by Dubber over $26.6 million in alleged missing funds, making proportionate liability claims against the software company’s former CEO and external solicitor, who is said to have disbursed company funds “wrongly and in breach of trust”.
Appeals
Brittany Higgins drops defamation appeal
Brittany Higgins has reportedly dropped her appeal of a judgment that ordered her to pay $315,000 in damages for defaming her former boss Linda Reynolds with social media posts that implied the ex-Liberal senator mishandled her rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann.
Financial Services
MWL Financial adviser banned for recommending failed Shield fund
The corporate regulator has banned a MWL Financial adviser for eight years for recommending clients park the bulk of their superannuation into Keystone's high-risk Shield Master Fund, which has since collapsed.
Employment
Structural Monitoring Systems barred from removing CEO
ASX-traded Structural Monitoring Systems has been barred from sacking its CEO after he launched whistleblower proceedings against the aerospace company.
Class Actions
Junior doctors class action settlement wins OK, without court hearing
A $175 million deal struck to resolve 30 class actions on behalf of junior doctors in Victoria has earned the approval of a judge, who took the unusual course of dispensing with a court hearing on the settlement.
Competition & Consumer Protection
eToro settles with ASIC in novel suit over CFDs
The court will not get a chance to rule on the design and distribution obligations in the marketing of contracts for difference, after the Australian Securities and Investments Commission reached an agreement with eToro to resolve the first case of its kind.
Employment
Judge won’t recuse himself from harassment case over GoFundMe
A judge has refused to recuse himself from a sexual harassment case against the Western Australian Department of Justice after counsel for the department donated $500 to a GoFundMe for his brother-in-law.
