Commercial Disputes AU

  • August 25, 2026

    Fed Court Raps eHarmony For 'Subscription Trap' Breaches

    Online dating site eHarmony has been found in breach of consumer law by the Federal Court of Australia for misleading customers over subscription-based membership prices and terms on its website and app after hundreds of complaints about charges and automatic renewals at higher prices. 

  • August 25, 2026

    SkyCity Rejects Two Takeover Bids On 'Problematic' Terms

    New Zealand-based casino operator SkyCity said it has rejected two unsolicited takeover bids, including a $602 million offer from US investment firm Oaktree Capital, citing low value and "problematic" conditions.

  • August 25, 2026

    ART, Fair Work Commission Tighten GenAI Disclosure Rules

    The Administrative Review Tribunal published new rules governing AI use by lawyers acting in its proceedings on Monday, the same day the Fair Work Commission released similar guidelines citing a 70% increase in workload primarily due to potential litigants now using artificial intelligence tools.

  • August 25, 2026

    WiseTech Taps Oracle, SAP Vet Amid ACCC Probe

    WiseTech has named former Oracle and SAP executive Tim Ebbeck as an independent board member overseeing audit and risk, days after the ACCC executed a search warrant against the software company over alleged violations of competition and consumer law.

  • August 25, 2026

    InterPrac AFCA Challenge Delays $578K Investor Payouts

    Almost 1,400 complaints against Interprac Financial Planning over advice linked to the failed First Guardian and Shield schemes, including three cases in which investors are awaiting payment of $578,000 in compensation, face at least another four months in limbo after the Federal Court gave the firm access to AFCA documents and extra time to prepare its case.

  • August 25, 2026

    Berndale Director Appeals 23-Month Sentence On Siphoning Funds

    One of the former directors of collapsed broker Berndale Capital is appealing his two-year jail sentence in the Federal Court of Australia over his conviction for siphoning client funds for his personal benefit. 

  • August 21, 2026

    Law Firm Drops 'Deposit Flicking' Case After Media Attention

    Law firm Agency Settlements has discontinued its case against the founder of conveyancing firm Dott & Crossitt, Jared Zak, and agreed to pay costs over his allegations that it engaged in "deposit flicking," citing media coverage of the matter driving such rapid growth that it could no longer substantiate specific losses, director Lucas McEntee said in a statement to Law360 on Thursday.

  • August 21, 2026

    Struck-Off Lawyer Jailed For Holding Back Email Details

    A Victorian Supreme Court judge has ordered former solicitor Joseph Guss to spend a week in jail after he refused to hand over email login details to a manager appointed to his practice following the cancellation of his practising certificate for several instances of professional misconduct.

  • August 21, 2026

    Ex-KPMG Whistleblower Suit Targets Big Four Liability Caps

    A small public-interest case listed for trial in NSW's Supreme Court next year could expose the Big Four accounting firms to larger damages bills, forcing them to take accountability for "negligent, deceptive or misleading" advice given to clients, according to the ex-KPMG whistleblower behind the action Brendan Lyon.

  • August 21, 2026

    Shine Writes Down $13M In Surprise Class Action Ruling

    Class action law firm Shine Lawyers said an "unexpected" interlocutory judgment in an ongoing class action has forced it to write down $13.7 million from this year's earnings, though it is considering appealing the case.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ovanti Plans To Sue Former US CEO Amid BNPL Collapse

    Fintech firm Ovanti said it is preparing legal proceedings against the former CEO of its bankrupt US buy-now pay-later business, according to an Australian Securities Exchange statement on Thursday.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ex-Arrium CEO Rejects 'Blind Optimism' Claim In Class Trial

    Former Arrium Ltd CEO Andrew Roberts rejected allegations on Thursday that he engaged in "blind optimism" regarding the mining and steelmaking company's future prospects ahead of its collapse, in his final day of testimony in a shareholder class action trial over allegedly misleading financial reports.

  • August 20, 2026

    White Oak Must Turn Over Greensill, Gupta WhatsApp Chats

    The Federal Court of Australia has ordered private lender White Oak to hand over WhatsApp messages between its executives, Greensill founder Lex Greensill and British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta that insurers say covered transactions similar to those at the heart of the multibillion-dollar litigation over Greensill Capital's collapse.

  • August 19, 2026

    Federal Court, UNSW To Probe Unrepresented Litigants

    The Federal Court of Australia and the University of New South Wales announced plans on Wednesday to deliver a comprehensive, evidence-based examination of unrepresented litigants amid a swell in cases and AI use.

  • August 19, 2026

    REST Avoids Full Costs After Failing To Halt Airport Stake Sale

    A New South Wales Supreme Court judge has ruled that REST Infrastructure Trust does not have to pay the full defendants' costs for its failed bid to halt the sale of its share of a roughly $4 billion Dexus-led stake in Melbourne and Launceston airports, saying the injunction request hadn't completely lacked merit.

  • August 18, 2026

    Ex-DRA CEO Loses Bid For Privileged Takeover Emails

    The former executive of a mining services company has lost his bid for access to correspondence involving shareholders who tried to take over the firm's board in 2022, despite a Federal Court judge saying he assumed the group had an "illegal purpose" in attempting to wrest control of more than 20% of its shares.

  • August 18, 2026

    Arrium Class Say Ex-CEO Ignored 'Inconvenient' Predictions

    A class of shareholders of collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd. alleged at trial Tuesday that the company's former CEO Andrew Roberts willfully ignored pessimistic price predictions for iron ore prices when putting together allegedly misleading financial reports.

  • August 17, 2026

    S&G Files 2nd James Hardie Class Action, Shine Plans 3rd

    Slater & Gordon has filed a shareholder class action against James Hardie in the Victorian Supreme Court, the second alleging the building materials firm failed to disclose US problems in its forecasts, with a third from Shine Lawyers imminent, Law360 can reveal.

  • August 17, 2026

    Judge Backs Bendigo Bank In Brothel Debanking Row

    The owner of Melbourne brothel Gotham City has lost a bid to overturn Bendigo Bank's closure of his bank accounts due to suspicious activity, after a Supreme Court of Victoria judge dismissed his claims of discrimination and breaches of banking laws and account terms.

  • August 17, 2026

    Arrium Class Can't Ease Burden With Late Pleading Fix

    The Victorian Supreme Court judge overseeing a class action against collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd. over allegations of misleading financial reports, refused Monday to allow amended pleadings, leaving the plaintiffs a high bar to clear to prove their case.

  • August 14, 2026

    Boral Liable In Investor Suit But Judge Waits Til CBA Ruling

    Construction supplier Boral has been found liable for continuous disclosure breaches over its failure to correct flawed earnings guidance in a class action in the Federal Court of Australia, with penalties to be decided following an upcoming High Court ruling on market causation in the Commonwealth Bank of Australia shareholder case.

  • August 13, 2026

    Arrium Judge Won't Exclude Key Class Expert

    A Victorian Supreme Court judge ruled at trial Thursday that a shareholder class suing over allegedly misleading financial reports made by collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd could continue to use a key valuation expert supporting their case, rejecting the defendants' claims that he acted outside his expertise.

  • August 13, 2026

    Judge Rules McPherson, Ex-CEO Liable Over Sales Disclosure

    The Federal Court of Australia has found a skincare and consumer goods company misled investors by breaching its continuous disclosure obligations over forecasts for Dr LeWinn's skincare during a COVID-era sales slump, while its former CEO breached his duty of care by failing to ensure investors were informed in a timely manner.

  • August 12, 2026

    Meta Spoiled Evidence In Forrest Facebook Scam Suit: Judge

    A California federal judge has sanctioned Meta, finding the company failed to preserve key evidence in a lawsuit by Australian businessman Andrew Forrest over fraudulent Facebook advertisements that falsely used his name and likeness to promote cryptocurrency and investment scams, saying the spoliation prejudiced Forrest's case.

  • August 11, 2026

    Arrium Class Must Prove All Units Were Impaired, Judge Says

    A Victorian Supreme Court judge hearing a shareholder class action trial over allegedly misleading financial reports made by collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd ruled on Tuesday that the class must specifically prove that all the company's business units faced financial impairments, narrowing its potential path for winning the case.

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