ASIC needs ‘eat-what-you-kill’ resources
The corporate regulator should be able to bank any winnings it gets from its successful litigation, according to experts.
Legal Affairs
Law firm ‘cashing in’ on visa hopefuls
A law firm that has championed dozens of cases amid Labor’s ongoing immigration woes has been accused of trying to make money from non-citizens ‘desperate’ to avoid deportation.
Home epilepsy support device recalled amid court case
Seer Medical has revealed it will recall one of its key services used to support people at home with epilepsy, after the company’s co-founder launched legal action against it.
Former barrister in $1.3m fraud case
A scion of the Australian legal establishment faces up to 10 years’ jail if convicted of stealing $1.3m by fraudulently billing out legal costs and providing allegedly false invoices.
Keybridge fails to sink board of pirate-themed LIC
Junior investment outfit Benjamin Hornigold, which is suing its former boss over $4.1m in loans, has dismissed a bid by Keybridge Capital to drastically cut its board fees.
Victorian state VC fund faces court over dispute
The Victorian government’s $2bn venture capital fund is facing allegations it threatened the former CEO of one of its investment companies ‘personally’ before he was sacked.
ASIC ‘needs US-style law enforcement approach’
Australia’s corporate regulator needs a US-style law enforcement approach and its current model is unworkable, the chair of an inquiry into ASIC says.
Super Retail board has questions to answer: governance chief
A top governance adviser has compared allegations of the CEO’s affair and a toxic workplace with the mayhem of reality TV show Married At First Sight and says the board must answer questions.
Stressed judges ‘need to be tested for PTSD’
A third of Australian judges should be tested for PTSD, according to a new study that also found a significant amount of the judiciary turn to alcohol as a way to cope with the stress of the job.
Judge tells media to fight for its rights
Michael Lee has blasted the overuse of strict suppression orders that ‘interfere’ with open justice, urging the media to ‘more vigorously’ fight confidentiality motions.
Reynolds v Higgins is even messier than we thought
Former PM Scott Morrison on the full witness list in defamation showdown; a new job for Ian Freckelton KC; and a(nother) nasty spat engulfing the Victorian Bar council | Read Ipso Facto
Super Retail’s alleged toxic culture exposed
Court documents reveal the drama at Super Retail Group, including accusations the CEO misused company funds to carry on an illicit affair with the head of human resources.
ASIC acted in ‘bad faith’ by allowing Blue Sky short attack
The corporate regulator acted in bad faith by sitting idly by while Glaucus Research savaged Blue Sky Alternative Investments in a short attack, the latter’s former boss says in a new court claim.
Win for Fortescue in private eye battle
Fortescue’s private investigators followed former employees for weeks but a court ruling means the iron ore giant won’t have to reveal details of the company’s brief to the PIs.
Judges lashed over ‘improper’ rape grillings
Former High Court justice Virginia Bell has criticised judges who allow inappropriate defence questioning of rape complainants, out of fear that an intervention from the bench may give rise to an appeal.
Best of intentions must not affect right to a fair trial
The Australian Law Reform Commission is examining how the justice system deals with issues of sexual violence but the terms of reference risk it running off the rails.
Warning on #MeToo redo: ‘presumption of innocence must stand’
Australia’s peak legal body is challenging a movement to reshape the administration of rape trials in the wake of #MeToo, declaring the presumption of innocence and the rule of law must remain sacrosanct.
Fortescue outlines its case over claim of IP theft
Fortescue staff, in documents filed in court, say the timelines and funding for alleged intellectual property thief Element Zero don’t add up.
OTR push to expose groups behind alleged smear
The groups behind an alleged smear campaign against OTR could be revealed to the company within days following a court order and as a potential trial looms.
Class action against Fletcher subsidiary over ‘leaky’ pipes
A class action has been launched against a subsidiary of New Zealand-based construction materials giant Fletcher Building over alleged defective pipes.
Rex owes money to 4450 creditors, court told
The Federal Court has heard Rex owes money to 4450 creditors and that figure does not include the 185,000 customers whose flights have been cancelled.
Ownership Matters boss enters Super Retail fray
The nation’s most powerful and influential corporate governance adviser, Dean Paatsch, has accused the Federal Court of ‘running a protection racket’ for companies and directors.
ANZ boss may have to hand back millions
APRA will be monitoring the bank board’s actions as ASIC investigates potential market manipulation, with CEO Shayne Elliott and institutional boss Mark Whelan facing a big bonus hit.
Super giant Mercer fined $11.3m for greenwashing
Mercer has apologised for misleading clients about the sustainable nature of some of its investment options after it was ordered to pay a penalty in a landmark case.
‘I had full backing of the board’: ex-Star CEO
The confidential submission of former casino boss Robbie Cooke shines a light on the difficult path that needed to be walked with NSW’s powerful casino regulator.
Sacked Super Retail exec details ‘serious’ workplace breaches
The former legal boss of Super Retail is seeking damages and an apology from the retailer, its CEO and chairman, claiming her legal reputation has been tarnished, court documents reveal.
How a dissenting voice can make a real impact
The majority ruling against Gladys Berejiklian at appeal is a precedent, leaving ICAC free to conduct future inquiries using the same tactics questioned by the third member of the bench.
Super Retail seeks suppression of workplace lawsuit
Scandal-plagued Super Retail has rushed to court trying to suppress parts of the lawsuit brought by its former legal boss.
Oil Search case took a toll on me, says former CFO designate
Speaking for the first time since ending a three-year claim against Oil Search – owned by Santos – Ayten Saridas says she would have won but had to settle due to a huge toll on her wellbeing.
SA demands answers from ANZ on bond trades
Hot on the heels of Queensland halting business with ANZ, now the SA government has demanded certainty from the scandal-engulfed bank over trades in the state’s debt.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/page/17