The stage is set for a beauty parade of two shareholder class actions against Freedom Foods and Deloitte, and the judge overseeing the cases has embraced the recommendation of the High Court to appoint an independent barrister to represent group members in the contest.
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.
A judge has refused an application by US almond supplier Blue Diamond for over $200,000 in security for costs in proceedings over a disputed licensing deal with Freedom Foods, saying it should have been evident that the bid was “unjustified”.
A mid-trial settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by the liquidators of collapsed steel giant Arrium against 10 former company directors and officers for allegedly engaging in insolvent trading.
The ACCC has secured a misuse of market power declaration against Tasmanian government-owned TasPorts in the regulator’s first action under amended competition laws, but the ports company will not pay a penalty as part of an agreement to resolve the case.
Westpac will recoup the majority of proceeds from the $29.6 million sale of collapsed fintech Sargon Group, with a judge calling the company’s liquidators “anxious sellers” who sold at speed and well below market value.
The judge who vowed last year to move a criminal cartel case over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement to trial “before we all retire” will soon weigh the ACCC’s claim for privilege over statements from JPMorgan witnesses it has been accused of pressuring during its investigation, two months after a different judge heard a still unresolved privilege fight in the long-running case.
Australian investment management group Fortius Funds Management has taken retail giant The Just Group to court seeking millions of dollars in allegedly unpaid rent for four stores in Sydney’s MidCity Shopping Centre.
Slater & Gordon has argued discovery is becoming “unduly onerous” in a cross-claim filed by Arnold Bloch Leibler in a class action accusing the law firm of breaching its duty of care by greenlighting Slate & Gordon’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Quindell.
The prosecution in a criminal cartel case against several banks and high-ranking executives over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement has fought back against accusations that its indictment is “fundamentally flawed” and should be quashed.