Deals

Direct bank Members Equity has pleaded guilty to criminal charges over misleading representations to customers, but a judge has questioned the bank’s submissions in favour of a low penalty, noting it was only “happenstance” that a systems glitch didn’t lead to worse outcomes for customers.

Perth-based homebuilder BGC Housing Group will face a class action on behalf of thousands of home owners who allege they have been harmed by lengthy construction delays.

The High Court has rejected an application by a Sydney barrister to hear his case over $320,000 in disputed fees, saying the appeal was not a suitable case for ventilating issues over the operation of terms in costs agreements rendered void.

The High Court won't hear an appeal in a case by Acciona and Ferrovial against three insurers over coverage for loss and damage resulting from heavy rainfall at the site of construction of the Pacific Highway in northern New South Wales.

The corporate regulator has filed a suit against fintech giant PayPal over a term in its contracts with small businesses that sets a deadline for complaints about excess fees.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken eHarmony Inc to court, alleging the dating site misled users about its advertised 'free dating' membership and that its automatic renewal was a “subscription trap”. 

Telco Swift Networks has been hit with a $1.2 million penalty for bid rigging and price fixing in the tender process for supplying IT and communications equipment for three Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals mining projects in WA's Pilbara region.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has won its case against Finnish microloan company Ferratum alleging it overcharged vulnerable, low-income consumers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Law firms are facing a historic growth in expenses, despite lawyers becoming notably less productive, according to a new report on the legal industry.

Aiming to become the "undisputed market leader" in investment funds, Hall & Wilcox has brought on the team at boutique law firm McMahon Clarke.