Companies

The field of competitors in a four-way contest to run a shareholder class action against Downer EDI over a $40 million profit overstatement has narrowed with the consolidation of three cases, leaving one firm to face criticism over its comparative inexperience running group proceedings. 

The judge hearing a trial in defamation cases by former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann against TV broadcasters ABC and Ten has said he expects both Lehrmann and alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins to take the witness stand.

NAB will fight a bid by a $78 million class action over the collapse of Walton Construction to add serious fraud allegations in the four-year-old case, which a judge said has been “mired in a procedural mess”.

A judge who found that Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes has recused himself from deciding whether the Office of the Special Investigator can access evidence in the former SAS corporal's defamation case for its own investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan.

ANZ has lodged an application asking the Australian Competition Tribunal to reverse the competition regulator's rejection of its $4.9 billion tie-up with Queensland-based Suncorp.

Pitcher Partners has lost its appeal of a decision that refused to stay a lawsuit over the accounting firm’s alleged involvement in race car driver Max Twigg’s misappropriation of $127 million from his family. 

Ernst & Young has been hit with a discrimination suit by a former Asia Pacific director, who alleges she was fired after making complaints of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has agreed to backpay thousands of branch staff $3 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it failed to provide employees with paid rest breaks for at least six years.

A class action against Virgin Australia has become a lawyers’ feast, with seven new firms entering the ring after a dozen insurers were joined to the action alleging the airline failed to disclose its true financial position in a $324 million capital raising prospectus.

Virgin Australia has settled a lawsuit brought by its former chief pilot alleging the airline sacked him for complaining of bullying and harassment by its CEO.