A judge has questioned a class action firm’s claim that it and its counsel spent 180 hours and $63,000 in fees preparing pleadings in an underpayments class action against supermarket chain Drakes, saying the number of hours was not “reasonable”.
Defence shipbuilder Austal and its CEO have agreed to pay a combined $700,000 in penalties for violating the Corporations Act by failing to notify the market of a US$90 million writeback related to the company’s $3.5 billion US Navy warship program.
Retail Food Group has filed an application to shut down a class action by former franchisees of its Michel’s Patisserie chain who claim to have suffered losses stemming from changes to the franchise giant’s supply chain in 2015 and 2016.
A judge has tossed a broker’s lawsuit against NAB and its former subsidiary FAST, finding the bank was entitled to terminate its accreditation over the use of a banned broker’s trail book.
An appeals court’s “radical” approach in the treatment of JobKeeper payments won’t be scrutinised by the High Court, which on Friday declined to hear an appeal by IAG in the second set of COVID-19 business interruption test cases.
Property developer Deicorp has secured a win in a lawsuit brought by a Hong Kong real estate billionaire after Deicorp reneged on a $45 million property deal, with a judge finding the purchaser failed to properly nominate its special purpose vehicle under the contract for sale.
Insurer QBE has settled a class action over ANZ’s sale of allegedly worthless add-on insurance, and the applicants are “hopeful” that the bank and two other named insurers will soon reach a deal to resolve the claims against them.
A judge weighing a $29.5 million settlement in a class action against recycling company Sims Limited has questioned the court’s power to vary the funding agreement between the applicant and funder, which seeks to pass on its insurance costs to group members as well as recoup costs and earn a commission.
Scenic Tours has been hit with a second class action over a series of European cruises that went ahead in 2018 despite a record-breaking drought that saw river levels drop so low they became impassable.
Vocational education provider Box Hill Institute has agreed to pay $33 million to settle a class action by students who allege the diploma they obtained through the institute did not give them the knowledge or training needed to obtain a commercial pilot’s licence.