Digital giants Google and Facebook will be required to pay for news content under a new mandatory code being developed by the Government to create a ‘level playing field’ in the Australian media industry, which is facing a sharp decline in advertising revenue driven by the coronavirus.
Defunct financial adviser Dover Financial has sued three separate law firms for allegedly negligent advice over a ‘client protection policy’ that the Federal Court found was misleading, deceptive and an “exercise in Orwellian doublespeak”.
Grain handling group Viterra has been denied a post-hearing bid to reopen a lawsuit brought by Cargill Australia over its $420 million acquisition of Joe White, with a judge finding the application would lead to “substantial disruption and delay”.
Ford has lost its bid to delay an upcoming virtual trial in a class action over allegedly defective PowerShift transmissions, with a judge saying the parties must try to make a virtual trial work because the current “unsatisfactory” circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic could continue for a year or more.
Cigno is facing a possible class action over alleged predatory lending practices that were banned by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last year, one day after losing a courtroom challenge to the ban.
Fresh off the back of a $212.5 million settlement in three class actions over the Defence Department’s use of fire-fighting foam, Shine Laywers has launched another class action over the toxic chemical on behalf of 40,000 residents across Australia.
Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram will call for a stay of a Federal Court competition lawsuit brought by an Australian social media startup as it seeks to arbitrate the matter under Californian law.
The jury trial for a criminal cartel case against mobility equipment provider Country Care and two employees is unlikely to start before next year due to restrictions on jury trials caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a judge has said.
The applicant in a $47.6 million class action against a unit of car leasing company McMillan Shakespeare has been denied access to insurance documents sought to determine the value of the case, with a judge saying access would “distort the playing field”.
Kraft has lost an appeal in its high-stakes legal battle against Bega over the right to use its distinctive peanut butter trade dress in Australia.