COVID-19 was clearly excluded from the business interruption insurance policy taken out by The Star, and a lawsuit seeking coverage for economic loss resulting from the pandemic was “misconceived”, a group of insurers has said.
The corporate regulator has secured temporary restraining orders against a financial advisor who is accused of impersonating clients to obtain early release of their superannuation funds and pocket a substantial fee for the service.
GetSwift is keeping up its fight to have the judge overseeing a shareholder class action disqualify himself from the proceedings after overseeing the trial in the corporate regulator’s case against the logistics provider.
Herbert Smith Freehills has discovered it underpaid a number of its graduate lawyers, with some in the Big Six firm’s graduate ranks owed more than $20,000.
Hungry Jack’s is defending its ‘Big Jack’ against trade mark infringement claims by rival fast-food chain McDonald’s, saying the burger’s moniker incorporates its founder’s name with nothing more than a descriptive word for its large size that is “commonly” used by other fast-food restaurants.
Sports presenter Erin Molan has fired off a defamation lawsuit over the Daily Mail’s coverage of a remark she made during Nine’s Continuous Call radio program which she claims implied she was a racist who deliberately mocked the names of Pacific Islanders on air.
The public health official responsible for Victoria’s controversial curfew has had her credibility attacked in court, with a judge hearing suggestions that she may have been “coached and assisted” by the state government.
As the economic impact of Covid-19 continues to develop, we can expect promoters of class actions to explore claims which arise from the pandemic – some of these will be in familiar territory, whilst other claim may be novel, say Herbert Smith Freehills’ Harry Edwards and Dylan O’Keefe.
Telstra has suffered a defeat in its lawsuit accusing competitor Singtel Optus of violating consumer laws with ads claiming it is “covering more of Australia than ever before”, with a judge calling Telstra’s allegations that the ads implied a comparison with other telcos “strained and fanciful”.
The Morrison Government will ease responsible lending laws requiring banks to verify information from credit-seeking consumers, after the corporate regulator’s failed “wagyu and shiraz” case attacking Westpac’s lending practices.
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