A judge has dismissed two cases brought by the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and other lenders against directors of the failed steel giant Arrium, saying he was not satisfied the directors’ representations on loan drawdown notices were false or that the company was insolvent when it went into voluntary administration in April 2016.
Service station giant Ampol has lost its bid to force petrol station chain EG Fuel Co to allow it access to 87 Caltex sites so they can be rebranded to Ampol stations, with a judge finding it would cause EG “obvious disruption”.
The funder backing a class action accusing two energy generators of gaming Queensland’s energy prices wants the Full Court to find the landmark Brookfield Multiplex ruling, which held that a litigation funding arrangement for a class action was a managed investment scheme, was wrongly decided.
Australian law firm Gilbert + Tobin has advised fintech Afterpay on the largest public acquisition in Australian history under which US-based Square will acquire all of the company’s issued shares in a landmark $39 billion deal.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has won its case against IOOF unit RI Advice, with a judge finding the financial services firm failed to ensure its advisers acted in the best interests of clients and did not give inappropriate advice.
When trial begins next month in the ACCC’s cartel case against BlueScope Steel, the parties will all appear by video, with a judge saying “hybrid” hearings – where some parties are in court and others appear by video – were “unsatisfactory”.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has appealed a judge’s decision throwing out its competition case over an agreement for the privatisation of two NSW ports, calling the case “a matter of significance for the Australian economy”.
While employers cannot force employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, law firms are launching campaigns to encourage staff to sign up for the jab.
A judge has approved a $50 million settlement in a shareholder class action against failed training company Vocation and auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers, but questioned whether the $10.9 million commission and $12.75 million legal bill could have been “materially lower” had the case been run by one funder and firm instead of two.
Global mine technology company Minetek has lost its bid to access USB devices held by equipment manufacturer Howden’s solicitors for use in a potential lawsuit against a former employee who it says may have unlawfully used confidential company information.