If evidence were needed that courts are not rubber stamping class action settlements, the scrutiny of multi-million dollar agreements in 2021 is proof positive that judicial oversight of representative proceedings is robust.
Grant Thornton can’t dodge a “significant” counterclaim accusing the accounting firm of charging for “unnecessary and pointless” work in a case against a former client over $119,000 in unpaid fees.
Westpac is facing a lawsuit by a 67-year-old former manager, who alleges a colleague began a bullying campaign against him, including by asking him ‘When are you going to retire?’, after he complained that she was responsible for a backlog of declined insurance cases.
Energy retailer CovaU has been hit with $33,300 in penalties by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over its alleged failure to provide consumers with a percentage price comparison for its residential electricity plans.
US-based telecommunications giant Verizon has sued a Melbourne company for allegedly violating its ‘Verizon’ trade marks by registered a business with the same name.
A class action against Western Australia is seeking damages for alleged discrimination of Indigenous Australians detained for unpaid fines.
Accounting giant KPMG is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a former long-serving employee over “unnecessarily aggressive, belittling and disproportionate” emails allegedly attacking his professional integrity.
Technology giant Lenovo has been accused of taking adverse action against a compliance manager who complained of workplace bullying and harassment.
HarperCollins has agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, with the publisher promising to amend significant portions of its best-selling book chronicling the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mylan’s Australia unit is appealing decisions by the tax office to refuse deductions on interest paid under loans taken out by the pharmaceutical giant to help fund the $1.2 billion acquisition of generic drug maker Alphapharm almost 15 years ago.
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