Ernst & Young has resigned from its role as Omni Bridgeway’s long-time auditor after determining a class action against it that’s being backed by the litigation funder could threaten its independence.
A Worrells liquidator facing ASIC proceedings seeking to have his registration cancelled has won costs from the regulator after a judge found he was entitled to a “coherent pleading” and ordered the regulator to file a statement of claim.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has banned the former managing director of collapsed financial services provider Theta Asset Management from providing financial services for four years, after a court hit the company with a $2 million penalty for issuing defective product disclosure statements for a property investment scheme targeting retirees.
Several banks and executives facing criminal cartel charges over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement have won access to interview notes taken by whistleblower JP Morgan prior to it being granted immunity, which the banks say will prove inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
Telstra has been fined $50 million for using unconscionable tactics to sign up more than 100 Indigenous customers with post-paid mobile plans they didn’t understand and could not afford, the second highest penalty ever imposed for consumer law violations.
Lawyers welcomed the government’s “overdue” announcement of a so-called patent box that will slash the tax rate on income derived from patented drug and biotech inventions developed in Australia, but called on the government to apply the regime to other sectors.
Internet search giant Google wants to weigh in on an appeal over whether Epic Games’ lawsuit accusing Apple of abusing its dominance in the app store marketplace should be heard in Australia, as the ACCC wins its bid to intervene in the case.
US-based firm Jones Day has snagged one of Perth’s top energy litigators from rival Quinn Emanuel to bolster its global disputes team.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has dropped a consumer case accusing NIB Health Funds of failing to alert customers to coverage changes in their policies, less than a month before trial was set to kick off in the long-running case.
Two insurers have appealed a ruling that could provide a further $11.25 million to group members in a class action against sandalwood producer Quintis, further delaying finalisation of a settlement reached in the group proceeding over a year ago.