A trade mark dispute between US oil giant Chevron and Australian petrol station operator Ampol has been set down for an expedited hearing in April, ahead of which the companies have been ordered into mediation.
At least five law firms are investigating lawsuits, including class action proceedings, in the wake of a landmark test case on COVID-19 exclusions for business interruption cover.
Macquarie Bank has been ordered to fork out $330,000 to dozens of former advisers for a “defective and deficient” system which saw the bank fail to pay a raft of employment entitlements.
National law firm Mills Oakley has launched a new charity aimed at giving free legal advice to the Australian “missing middle” who earn too much to be eligible for Legal Aid services but who do not have enough income to hire a private lawyer.
The Full Federal Court has upheld an appeal by In-N-Out Burgers against Sydney-based Hashtag Burgers, finding that its two sole directors were also liable for trademark infringement and passing off in owning and operating their ‘DOWN-N-OUT’ burger restaurants.
While there was no shortage of pain and challenges for law firms as the coronavirus raged across the globe last year, a number of big firms also felt the sting of litigation from disgruntled clients, partners and employees.
Three unions representing Qantas workers have asked the High Court for special leave to appeal a ruling from the Full Federal Court siding with the airline in a dispute over the operation of the JobKeeper wage subsidy.
Payments provider Tyro is facing the threat of a class action over a days-long EFTPOS terminal outage that has left many businesses unable to accept payments.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
A Brisbane-based law firm is being sued by a paralegal who claims she was forced to take a 20 per cent pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic on the basis of misleading statements by the firm’s director.