An appeals court has overturned a ruling ordering class closure in seven representative proceedings against car makers over defective Takata airbags, finding courts do not have the power to make class closure orders.
Cruise company Australian Pacific Touring has settled a lawsuit brought against the Federal Government challenging an order forcing foreign-owned cruise ships out of Australian waters due to health concerns raised by the coronavirus.
The coronavirus has forged changes in the legal profession that will outlast the pandemic itself, leading to greater flexibility and efficiencies in an industry steeped in tradition and notably slow to adopt new technologies, sources told Lawyerly.
As law firms and funders scramble to keep up with COVID-19’s impact on the legal landscape, some have gone above and beyond in creating new technological and service solutions for clients in these unprecedented times.
The developers behind the Governor Place residential complex in Canberra have reached a settlement in a class action by aparment owners seeking $6.3 million in GST payments on their units.
The Federal Court is pushing ahead with an expedited trial in Icon Co’s case against Liberty Mutual Insurance and QBE over the Opal Tower disaster, just one month after originally scheduled, and it’s going online to do it.
The judge overseeing the trial in a trade secrets case brought by Australian auto electronics developer Directed Electronics OE against its rivals is considering how the cross-examination of witnesses will proceed given current restrictions imposed on gatherings due to the coronavirus, including in the event of a possible lockdown.
The lead applicants in seven class actions against auto manufacturers over explosive Takata airbags have criticised the courts for losing their way in ensuring justice is done, in a landmark challenge to class closure orders made in the cases.
A former manager of Australian electronics automotive developer Directed Electronics OE has failed to block access to certain documents in a corporate theft case, despite the Federal Court finding they gave rise to a “real and appreciable risk” of civil or criminal prosecution against him.
A Melbourne-based craft brewery has had its ‘Urban Ale’ trade mark cancelled, with a judge finding other beer makers might want to use the words to describe their products and that cancelling the mark would be in the public interest.