A judge has denied defunct insurance broker All Class Insurance its bid for indemnity cover for the alleged theft of company funds by its director, finding the director misappropriated trust funds and fraudulently did not disclose the conduct to insurer Chubb Insurance.
A COVID-19 business interruption test case that was filed in the Federal Court following a landmark loss for insurers in test case before the NSW Court of Appeal, will be determined along with any appeals by the end of the year, a judge has said.
The chief judges of three of the country’s top courts say virtual hearings, including through the use of popular livestream technology, will be around long after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
Two executives of failed car washing franchise Geowash have failed in their attempt to overturn a $2.7 million penalty for overcharging and misleading franchisees, with the Full Court finding they had engaged in “a consistent pattern of conduct which was deceitful and dishonest”.
Freedom Foods’ dispute with Blue Diamond Growers over an almond licensing deal will be heard by an arbitrator in California after an appeals court rejected the company’s plea for an Australian judge to determine the case.
A court has ordered Avant Insurance to supply certain documents to a plastic surgeon seeking coverage for legal costs of defending a class action against The Cosmetic Institute over allegedly “incompetent” breast augmentation surgery.
The Australian Taxation Office has come up short in its challenge to a decision that a sole trader was eligible for Jobkeeper despite a cancelled ABN, with the Full Federal Court saying the small businessman was entitled to the government COVID-19 handout.
The Full Federal Court has ruled that unconscionable conduct under the Australian Consumer Law is not confined to exploitation of vulnerable parties, in an “extremely significant” judgment that will extend the reach of the unconscionable conduct provisions and protect a wider swathe of consumers.
The High Court will weigh in on a dispute between the Port of Newcastle and mining giant Glencore over access charges to shipping channels used to export coal from the Hunter Valley.
In another victory for ASIC in a case stemming from the banking royal commission, a judge has ruled that TAL Life Limited breached the Insurance Contracts Act after denying coverage to a cancer patient and threatening to recover $24,000 it had already paid to her.