Commercial Disputes AU
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September 30, 2026
Developer Gets 9 Years For $2.2M Investor Fund Fraud
A former Queensland property developer was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to fraud involving more than $2.2 million of investor funds intended for five property developments.
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September 30, 2026
Judge Says 'Gestalt' Can't Delay $3.25M Settlement Payments
The New South Wales Supreme Court refused Wednesday to let a property developer defer payments under a $3.25 million settlement with another developer, finding in a first-of-its-kind ruling that it hadn't shown a "gestalt" between the parties that justified the delay.
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September 30, 2026
OneSteel Creditors Meeting Delayed For 3rd Time
The Federal Court of Australia has extended the convening period for the second creditors' meeting of OneSteel Manufacturing to March 31, 2027, noting that the steelmaker's administrators expect a sale not to yield any material return for ordinary unsecured creditors.
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September 30, 2026
Mayne-Sun US Settlement Keeps Generic Imvexxy Out Til 2032
ASX-listed Mayne Pharma announced a settlement in a US patent dispute with Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. on Wednesday over an oestradiol vaginal insert used to treat symptoms of menopause, with Sun agreeing not to enter the US market with a generic version until 2032.
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September 30, 2026
Golf Buggy Maker MGI Sues Rival Alphard in Patent Dispute
Electric golf and push buggy maker MGI Golf Pty Ltd launched a patent suit against competitor Alphard Golf Australia Pty Ltd in the Federal Court of Australia on Tuesday.
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September 30, 2026
Mallesons Special Counsel Joins IP Specialist Griffith Hack
Former Mallesons special counsel James Robb has joined intellectual property firm Griffith Hack as a principal and practice group leader of its law & trade marks practice, according to a statement from Griffith Hack's parent group IPH Limited, an ASX-listed intellectual property services group on Wednesday.
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September 30, 2026
Justice Emerton To Lead Victoria's First Sentencing Review
Former Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria President Justice Karin Emerton will conduct the first independent review into the state's sentencing legislation since it took effect in 1992, Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny announced on Tuesday.
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September 30, 2026
Justice Nichols Joins Victorian Court of Appeal
Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Lisa Nichols has been appointed to the Victorian Court of Appeal, the court said in a statement on Tuesday, adding Megan O'Sullivan KC will replace Nichols in the Victorian Supreme Court.
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September 29, 2026
Jones Day Adds 5 Partners To Fuel Australian Expansion
Jones Day has added five new partners in Sydney and Brisbane from major rivals Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Minter Ellison and Norton Rose Fulbright across intellectual property, energy and corporate as it continues to expand in Australia.
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September 29, 2026
Panel Upholds Forrestania-Zenith Ruling, Adds Disclosures
A Takeovers Panel review panel has upheld a declaration of unacceptable circumstances over Forrestania Resources' proposed acquisition of Zenith Minerals, while requiring further disclosure about the consequences if Forrestania does not acquire full ownership of Zenith.
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September 29, 2026
Implied Contract Holds In Spoiled Salad Dressing Dispute
The Supreme Court of Victoria's Court of Appeal has found documentation such as emails and invoices formed a contract, partially allowing a freight agent's appeal over liability for a 2017 shipment of spoiled salad dressing.
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September 29, 2026
12 Wentworth Selborne Adds 2 Barristers To Floor
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers said Nakhul Bagwat, formerly a senior associate at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, and Georgia Appleby, formerly a senior associate at Maddocks, have joined its Sydney chambers.
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September 29, 2026
ACT Bar Association Names 2 Barristers Senior Counsel
The Australian Capital Territory Bar Association appointed barristers Danny Moujalli of Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers and Peter Woulfe of Blackburn Chambers as Senior Counsel, President Prue Bindon said in a statement Monday.
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September 29, 2026
Takeover Panel Finds Against DGR Shareholder Disclosures
The Takeovers Panel found that shareholders in mining exploration company DGR Global acquired major voting power in the company without providing accurate disclosures, and declared "unacceptable circumstances".
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September 29, 2026
Blue Flag Says Optimus Used Defaults To Derail Share Exit
Automotive data and analytics company Blue Flag and its founders have sued its majority-owner Optimus Group in the Victorian Supreme Court, alleging they issued default notices to derail the sale of the remainder of the business, have sought to block the founders from board meetings and written down the founder's remaining stake to zero.
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September 28, 2026
Creditor Has Priority Over Co.'s Tax Refunds, Court Says
An Australian coal mining company's secured creditor has first priority over a chunk of about AU$7.5 million ($5.3 million) in contested tax refunds compared with a company that purchased the refunds, the Supreme Court of Queensland said, reversing a trial court's decision.
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September 28, 2026
Mayne Pharma To Pay US$650K To End US Antitrust Claim
Mayne Pharma said Monday it would pay US$650,000 (AU$927,000) to settle a complaint by 49 U.S. attorneys general alleging antitrust violations in its marketing of a generic version of the antibiotic doxycycline. The company did not admit liability.
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September 28, 2026
Defendants Get Costs For Ralan Liquidators' Late Doc Drop
A Federal Court has ordered the collapsed Ralan Property group's liquidators to pay costs for a hearing cancelled after they served extensive document summaries on its former head of sales at short notice, but declined to penalise their use of AI to prepare them.
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September 28, 2026
WestConnex Class Action Dropped After Funder Quits
Two Sydney property owners have dropped their WestConnex land acquisition class action against the New South Wales government after a dispute with their litigation funder, ending what a Supreme Court judge called the case's "long and unfortunate" history.
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September 28, 2026
NSW Solicitor Hit With Vexatious Proceedings Order
A New South Wales solicitor has been ordered to seek the Federal Court of Australia's permission before starting or continuing any proceedings there, after several cases he brought against Kailash Lawyers and Consultants were dismissed.
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September 28, 2026
Nuix Faces New Suit By CMB Capital and Former Exec Olsen
Venture Capital firm CMB Capital is suing analytics software company Nuix in the Federal Court of Australia, with a former senior executive of the company joining the suit and legal representation by class action specialists Banton Group.
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September 28, 2026
New Chambers Appoints 2 New Commercial Barristers
Sydney-based New Chambers announced two newly admitted barristers Catherine Bugler and Patrick Hall to its chambers. according to a statement on Monday.
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September 28, 2026
AUSTRAC CEO Says Lawyers Should Watch Property For AML
AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas says several law firms have already reported suspicious matters to the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator under expanded laws, adding there was "significant risk" in property transactions.
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September 28, 2026
RBA Workers Take Pay Dispute To Fair Work Commission
Reserve Bank of Australia employees have applied to the Fair Work Commission to resolve stalled pay negotiations after the central bank did not improve a pay rise offer that workers already rejected, according to the Finance Sector Union.
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September 25, 2026
Lawcover Defends Sole-Insurer Model Amid Competition Push
Lawcover and its owner the Law Society of New South Wales argued that its status as the sole professional indemnity insurer for solicitors in NSW helps keep prices down and coverage high, saying opening up the market to competition would actually be worse for lawyers and that its critics are a disgruntled minority.
Govt Defends Social Media Ban Despite 'Scientific Uncertainty'
The federal government has defended its world-first legislation barring social media accounts for under-16s against a High Court challenge from Reddit, arguing the law is justified by "credible risks of harm" despite a lack of scientific consensus, and has only a limited, reasonable effect on political speech.
Blue Sky Class Must Post $630k Costs To Credit Suisse, Oasis
A Queensland Supreme Court judge has ordered the plaintiff in a shareholder class action alleging insider trading of stock at former ASX-listed firm Blue Sky Alternative Investments Ltd to front up $630,000 in cost securities to the defendants including broker Credit Suisse Equities, hedge fund Oasis Management and its owner Seth Fischer, and directors of a research group who wrote a report downgrading the value of the now-liquidated company.
Cochlear Faces Shareholder Class Action Over Profit Forecast
Hearing implant solutions firm Cochlear Ltd. faces a shareholder class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria over its 2026 earnings forecasts which prompted a heavy share price decline, the company said on Tuesday.
Govt Defends Social Media Ban Despite 'Scientific Uncertainty'
The federal government has defended its world-first legislation barring social media accounts for under-16s against a High Court challenge from Reddit, arguing the law is justified by "credible risks of harm" despite a lack of scientific consensus, and has only a limited, reasonable effect on political speech.
Blue Sky Class Must Post $630k Costs To Credit Suisse, Oasis
A Queensland Supreme Court judge has ordered the plaintiff in a shareholder class action alleging insider trading of stock at former ASX-listed firm Blue Sky Alternative Investments Ltd to front up $630,000 in cost securities to the defendants including broker Credit Suisse Equities, hedge fund Oasis Management and its owner Seth Fischer, and directors of a research group who wrote a report downgrading the value of the now-liquidated company.
Cochlear Faces Shareholder Class Action Over Profit Forecast
Hearing implant solutions firm Cochlear Ltd. faces a shareholder class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria over its 2026 earnings forecasts which prompted a heavy share price decline, the company said on Tuesday.
Editor's Picks
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Top Commercial Disputes To Watch In The Second Half
2026 has been defined by massive claims across trade insurance in the Greensill fallout, the U.S. Meta case and likely Australian class action on teen addiction, Attorney General Michelle Rowland's first major suit, and the high-profile property stoush over a prized stake in Melbourne's Tullamarine airport. Law360 takes a look at five cases to watch in commercial disputes for the remainder of the year.
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Energy Regulator Seeks Special Leave To Appeal AGL Finding
The Australian Energy Regulator is seeking special leave to appeal a Full Federal Court of Australia decision overturning a 2024 finding that AGL had "overcharged" 483 Centrelink clients by accepting welfare-payment deductions after they closed their energy accounts.
Expert Analysis
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ASIC Win Broadens View Of Fixed-Yield Crypto Products
The High Court of Australia's recent landmark ruling in Australian Securities and Investments Commission v. Web3 Ventures, determining that fixed-yield cryptocurrency products are financial products, endorses an expansive approach to federal law that suggests purposive readings of existing statutes will be favoured over a wait-and-see approach to novel technology, say lawyers at Hall & Wilcox.
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Microsoft Defence Tests Disclosure Rules For Subscriptions
Microsoft recently filed its defence against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s claim that the company misled consumers about subscription options, setting up a significant contest about disclosure obligations, the nature of subscription software models, and when silence in a sales context amounts to misleading conduct, says Shaun Temby at Maddocks.
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Practice Leader Insights From Phi Finney's Joel Phibbs
Joel Phibbs, Phi Finney's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing practice lead, discusses the approach of banks when dealing with compliance, the challenges of delays in getting cases to trial, and why financial bodies' regulatory burden and the desire to lower costs using artificial intelligence seem like a recipe for major problems in the future.
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Practice Leader Insights From HSF Kramer's Andrew Bradley
Andrew Bradley, leader of HSF Kramer's financial services regulatory practice in Australia, discusses managing mental health while working on a complex matter, the glaring need for further reform in the financial advice sector, and why this practice area may be the most dynamic and intellectually stimulating.
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Blue Star Shows Why Liquidators Need Approval Rule Reform
The recent Queensland Supreme Court decision in Blue Star Care v. Rimcroft highlights the uncertainty surrounding Section 477(2B) of the Corporations Act court approvals regime, meaning that until outright reform is implemented liquidators must make unsatisfactory choices between what is safe and what is in creditors’ best interests, says Robert True at Quinn Emanuel.
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Australia's Computer Patent Ruling Will Aid Global Companies
While courts around the world have struggled to articulate a technology-neutral test for patentability of computer-implemented inventions, a recent decision by Australia's top court offers a decisive answer, creating strategic opportunities for overseas applicants, say attorneys at Mallesons.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: ICSID Enforcement In Australia
The Federal Court of Australia recently ruled for award creditors in Blasket Renewable Investments v. Spain in a judgment that explains how Australia's statute book operationalizes the promise of depoliticized enforcement under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Convention while accommodating, without yielding to, the centrifugal forces of European Union law, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.