The applicants in competing class actions against Downer EDI have set out their proposals for the courts overseeing the cases, with two calling for orders staying the proceedings of their rivals, and another seeking consolidation.
Beach Energy has struck back at a shareholder class action over alleged misleading earnings projections for its oil and gas reserves in the Cooper Basin, saying it had reasonable grounds for its rosy predictions for production.
Retail broker Openmarkets has paid the largest ever penalty handed down by ASIC’s markets disciplinary panel, with the regulator also banning its former trading head for three years.
GetSwift director Joel Macdonald still has not been served almost a year after his former Melbourne Demons teammate James Strauss filed a $15 million lawsuit against him, with a judge adjourning yet another substituted service application.
A judge has cautioned two law firms running competing shareholder class actions over last October’s cyber attack on Medibank that they must keep their focus on the best interests of clients and group members, saying lawyers can lose sight of that duty when arguing for their case.
A self-managed superannuation fund has taken Slater & Gordon to court to block the the acquisition of its shares in the firm as part of the plaintiff firm’s takeover by private equity firm Allegro Funds, saying the 55 cents per share price is not fair and reasonable.
Medibank is now facing five class actions over last October’s cyber attack that left exposed the personal data of 9.7 million customers, this one by shareholders of the private health insurer.
As the knives come out in a contest between four law firms battling to run an $80 million class action against Star Entertainment, a court-appointed barrister has named his favourites – one of which has proposed a contingency fee of just 14 per cent.
Three firms fighting for carriage of a $80 million class action against Star Entertainment say a group costs order would guard against ‘costs blowouts’ in the case and have urged a judge to ditch a no win, no fee proposal brought by fourth-to-file firm Shine Lawyers.
A landmark case brought by a shareholder advocacy group accusing Santos of greenwashing will seek to argue the energy company misled the market by presenting its carbon offset programs as plans to reduce emissions.