Mining giant BHP Billiton has been hit with two class actions alleging it hired hundreds of mine workers as casual employees to avoid paying proper wages and benefits, and industry heavyweights Yancoal and Glencore may face similar claims in the coming months.
Any claims that Australia will face a US-style explosion of class actions if lawyers are free to charge contingency fees are unwarranted, the head of the Victorian Law Reform Commission told Lawyerly in response to criticism of recent litigation reform proposals.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is seeking up to $30 million in penalties against Garuda Indonesia after the airline was found guilty of participating in a price fixing cartel.
The Full Federal Court has found products that market themselves as “natural” need not be made wholly of natural ingredients, handing a win to Aldi on appeal in its legal battle with the maker of the popular MoroccanOil line of hair products.
The Fair Work Ombudsman lost its argument for $4.1 million in penalties against the CFMMEU for industrial action at shipping terminals in Sydney and Brisbane, with a judge instead fining the union just $38,000.
A Federal Court judge has dismissed proceedings by US pharma giant Geneva Laboratories against disgraced Sydney pharmacist Mina Attia over sales of 1,000 counterfeit Bio-Oil skincare bottles, calling it “madness” and a misuse of the court.
The Federal Court has approved Commonwealth Bank’s $25 million settlement with ASIC over allegations it manipulated the bank bill swap rate.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has launched a 12-month investigation into workplace sexual harassment, the first of its kind birthed from the growing #MeToo movement.
A startup that provides company-branded mobile ordering services for the hospitality industry has lost a bid to patent a method for placing orders at a restaurant.
The trustee for collapsed investment group LKM Capital has reached a settlement in a class action brought on behalf of hundreds of investors who sunk $63 million into the failed firm.