Multiple class actions against Downer EDI over accounting irregularities might be bound for the High Court as complex legal questions swirl, a judge said on Wednesday.
A judge overseeing class actions against car makers Hyundai and Kia over alleged engine defects has dismissed the carmakers’ bid to inspect the lead applicants’ vehicles before defences are filed in the proceedings.
A law firm in regional New South Wales has been hit with a class action seeking to hold it liable for the alleged fraud of a former employee who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for fraud offences in 2021.
Restaurant chain Fogo Brazilia is facing a class action alleging it misled franchisees about the profitability of its businesses, with business owners also making claims against an employment law practice that drafted the franchise agreements.
Despite assurances, wealth manager Insignia Financial did not engage PricewaterhouseCoopers to review the performance of its ‘Buy Model” investment portfolio after an equities analyst complained it had been overstated, a court overseeing a shareholder class action trial has been told.
On the first day of trial in parallel class actions and regulatory proceedings, the Fair Work Ombudsman panned the payment systems adopted by Woolworths and Coles for salaried managers, saying they were “entirely foreign” to the industrial award and that the supermarket giants had “no meaningful proper records” for overtime.
A judge has warned against a franchisee class action against Hogs Breath Cafe Australia remaining in limbo after the restaurant chain’s bid to toss the case was set back by the second applicant’s poor health.
Big three energy supplier AGL is facing a class action alleging it misused its market power in breach of Australia’s competition laws.
Westpac, Macquarie and ANZ are seeking class closure orders ahead of mediation in three class actions over flexible commissions schemes, telling a court hearing they will be “completely at sea” without a better idea of the class size.
Boutique litigation firm Banton Group has hired Laura Keily and Ryan McCrosson as name partners, as as the firm eyes expansion into the US, UK and Cayman markets.