A Victorian politician has slammed a bill that would allow lawyers running class actions in the state to charge contingency fees, calling the proposal a ‘handshake’ to the country’s two largest plaintiffs law firms.
Two former directors of defunct Gold Coast asset manager Avestra are facing a lawsuit from the company’s liquidators seeking to recover $6 million in alleged losses by three of the company’s managed investment schemes.
Russells Lawyers has withdrawn a cross claim against a restructuring and insolvency solicitor who filed a lawsuit alleging the firm tried to manufacture a reason for terminating his employment.
Clive Palmer and his company Mineralogy have survived a High Court challenge by Hong-Kong based CITIC to a ruling that put it on the hook for at least $224 million in unpaid royalties from producton at the Sino Iro mine, but a related $297 million suit by Palmer against the Chinese conglomerate has flopped.
The High Court has declined two insurers’ request for review of a decision that left them on the hook for covering part of a $6 million class action settlement by Bank of Queensland.
A law firm has won its case seeking preliminary discovery from Essential Energy to pursue a possible class action against the state-owned electricity infrastructure company over the 2018 Tathra bushfire in NSW.
The Federal Government has blessed the ACCC’s request for an extended public inquiry into Google and Facebook as well as a separate probe into the tech giants’ advertising practices, arming the regulator with the power to collect information on the companies’ advertising and search algorithms.
A Mexican restaurant franchise has settled a dispute with Taco Bell that will allow the fast food giant to move ahead with plans to set up shop in Victoria.
Herbert Smith Freehills cannot recover its costs for successfully representing itself in litigation with United Petroleum over the company’s aborted initial public offering, with an appeals court finding the High Court’s recent ruling eliminating the so-called Chorley exception for self-represented lawyers applies to law firms as well.
Australian agricultural fund manager Rural Funds Group has won its legal action alleging US short seller Bonitas Research engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct when it described the group’s equity as “ultimately worthless” and sent its share price plummeting.