An appeals court has said that while it might be desirable for law firms to disclose their involvement in drafting expert reports, they are not legally obligated to do so, overturning a finding that Corrs Chambers Westgarth went “far beyond the permissible scope” of involvement in a report prepared for a trade secrets case.
A contradictor in two pelvic mesh class actions against Johnson & Johnson and unit Ethicon has told the court of the “extraordinary amount of group member unhappiness” following approval of a $300 million settlement – the largest in the history of Australian product liability group proceedings.
The ABC is relying on a new statutory public interest defence in a defamation case brought by accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann over its coverage of a National Press Club speech by his accuser, former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.
A judge has ordered contractor JKC Australia to hand over legal advice relating to a settlement deed it entered with Japanese oil company Inpex in 2021, as it seeks to hold Dutch paint company AkzoNobel NV responsible for its “significant” potential liability under the settlement.
A group of Victorian barristers says the Bar has a responsibility to make a public statement backing the proposed Voice to Parliament, while others have questioned the “propriety” of speaking out, an email to members reveals.
A judge has ordered MLC to pay $10 million for its “serious failure” to pay life insurance benefits to customers undergoing rehabilitation, in an ASIC case that also alleged the insurer failed to promptly update medical terms in policies.
The tax leaks scandal engulfing PwC has shone a spotlight on the culture of large professional services firms, where ensuring compliance with good governance is akin to “herding cats”, experts say.
A court has tossed a conviction secured in ASIC’s case against a director of collapsed flight booking platform Fly365, saying the case was “doomed to failure.”
An appeals court has found a seven-year non-competition clause in US tech giant DXC Eclipse’s agreement with the former director of Melbourne software firm Sable37, which it acquired in 2018, was unreasonable.
IP Australia has rejected an application by US technology company Block to patent a mobile payment method, saying it does not describe a manner of manufacture — the threshold requirement tripping up many claimed computer-implemented inventions.