Online odd jobs platform Service Seeking has been fined $600,000 for falsely representing that reviews on its platform were written by customers when in fact they were written by the businesses themselves.
ANZ Banking Group has slammed a decision by the ACCC to escalate concerns that one of its key cartel witnesses was not being “full and frank”, claiming this was a way to put pressure on the witness and bring his evidence into line.
The ACCC’s investigatory techniques have come under fire during a hearing over an alleged criminal cartel agreement between ANZ and two investment banks, with a barrister for one of the banks suggesting investigators from the regulator deliberately did not take notes during hundreds of days of witness interviews to avoid disclosure.
Despite receiving immunity in a criminal cartel case against ANZ and two other investment banks, JPMorgan has disputed the existence of any cartel agreement since the early days of the ACCC’s investigations, a court has heard.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has succeeded in its case against Kogan, with a judge finding statements the online retailer made during a 2018 promotion were misleading and drew consumers into the company’s “marketing web”.
A judge has ordered private health insurer Medibank to pay $5 million in penalties for rejecting the claims of hundreds of members who were entitled to coverage for critical medical procedures, including spinal surgery.
The corporate watchdog would not take action on funding terms in a Fair Work class action brought by Adero Law, after receiving reports of potential misleading or deceptive conduct by the law firm and the funder backing the case, according to submissions made in the government’s latest inquiry into litigation funding and class actions.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will not oppose the acquisition of global pharmaceutical giant Bayer’s animal health business by competitor Elanco, after the company agreed to divest certain brands to allay competition concerns.
A judge has appointed special purpose liquidators to investigate the affairs of failed VET provider Phoenix Institute and its directors after the Commonwealth complained of “a difficult working relationship” with the training company’s current liquidators.
The ACCC is challenging a ruling that dismissed the watchdog’s claim that property investment company Quantum Housing Group engaged in unconscionable conduct in misleading investors in the National Rental Affordability Scheme, saying the legal test for finding unconsionability under the consumer law needed clarifying.