The son of Banksia class action funder Mark Elliott, who has been accused of complicity in a fraudulent scheme to maximise the profits of the lawyers in the case, was young and inexperienced and didn’t know his father’s conduct was wrong, his barrister has told a court.
The Federal Government has committed $147 million to develop a new watchdog tasked with investigating criminal conduct in the public sector, giving the agency more power than a Royal Commission.
Retail Employees Superannuation has settled a lawsuit brought by an ecological landscaper and activist over its climate change disclosures, acknowledging the need to identify the risks of climate change.
Lawyers from three newspapers being sued by war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith for defamation are seeking sensitive documents alleged to show the former soldier asked his wife to lie about an affair.
The Victoria Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit by restaurant owner and Liberal member Michelle Loielo challenging the validity of the Victoria government’s now dropped COVID-19 curfew, with a judge finding that the measure was legal and “proportionate to the purpose of protecting public health”.
Viagogo has appealed a $7 million penalty handed down after a judge found the ticket reseller had misled consumers into thinking it was an official vendor and failed to disclose booking fees of around 28 per cent.
Australia’s largest library has entered into a “stringent” enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman after underpaying more than 100 employees to the tune of $250,000 in wages and super.
The NSW Court of Appeal has passed on the question of whether a judge can make a common fund order when a class action settles to ensure a certain return to litigation funders, but the issue is not going away, whatever the Federal Court’s decision in a parallel case.
Funeral insurer ACBF Funeral Plans and parent company Youpla Group are facing legal action from the corporate regulator alleging they breached financial service laws by making false claims in a funeral insurance policy sold primarily to Aboriginal consumers.
The Attorney-General’s office has begun its review into whether the Privacy Act is fit for the digital age, including whether the law should be changed to allow consumers to bring lawsuits, including class actions, for privacy breaches.
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