Commercial Disputes AU
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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August 11, 2026
Judge Won't Issue Interim Gag In 'Deposit Flicking' Dispute
A New South Wales Supreme Court judge has declined to make an interim order preventing Jared Zak, founder of conveyancing firm Dott & Crossitt, from publicly calling the business model of law firm Agency Settlements illegal.
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August 07, 2026
Justice Murphy Defends Class Action System In Final Speech
Justice Bernard Murphy has used his final speech as a Federal Court judge to champion Australia's class action system, saying he worked to "ensure that it was fair and equitable."
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August 07, 2026
Ex-Nuix Director Says IPO Allegations Not Properly Pleaded
The Supreme Court of Victoria has heard that a class action centring on misleading IPO representations against software company Nuix, Macquarie Capital and former director Daniel Phillips failed to properly plead its case against Phillips.
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August 06, 2026
QB4 Loses Bid To Appeal Costs Orders In Guardian Dispute
The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed asset manager QB4 Capital's bid to appeal costs orders in a dispute over about $520,000 in legal and audit fees, clearing the way for $8.5 million to finally be distributed to investors in Guardian Securities.
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August 05, 2026
Arrium Directors Say Claim They Ignored Troubles 'Nonsense'
Directors of collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd hit back on Wednesday at shareholder allegations they wrongly ignored negative industry data that should have underpinned their financial modelling, telling a Victorian Supreme Court judge that the company's disputed financial reports were reasonable and well-supported by available information.
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August 05, 2026
Federal Court Axes Class QBE COVID Appeal On Limited Use
The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has tossed out a class action appeal against QBE Insurance and underwriter Lloyds over COVID-19 business losses for reasons of practical utility, ordering applicants to pursue claims independently or not at all.
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August 05, 2026
Brambles Loses Bid To Pause Costs Order In Class Action
Brambles will have to pay an estimated $12 million in costs after a Federal Court judge dismissed a bid to pause a lump-sum assessment of costs owed to shareholders, despite the logistics giant appealing the landmark class action, in a judgment published on Monday.
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August 05, 2026
'Alarm Bells' Rang Before PAC Merger, Court Told
The former directors of Pacific Current Group Ltd (PAC) approved the $193 million merger with fellow asset management firm Northern Lights Capital Partners LLC despite "alarm bells" ringing among the board over asset valuations of the U.S.-based firm, counsel for PAC told the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne on Tuesday.
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August 04, 2026
Arrium Class Say KPMG Failed On 'Professional Skepticism'
KPMG auditors failed to properly look into contradictory information and unrealistic projections from Arrium Ltd before signing off on audits of the steelmaking and mining company ahead of its 2016 collapse, shareholders of the company argued at the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday.
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August 03, 2026
Directors Hid Arrium's Decline Before Collapse, Says Class
Directors of collapsed steelmaker and miner Arrium Ltd wrongly approved "overly optimistic" revenue models underpinning the company's financial reports, ignoring predictions of a sustained fall in iron ore prices and an inability to turn a profit from an aging steel plant, shareholders of the company told a Victorian Supreme Court judge on Monday.
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August 03, 2026
Nuix Results 'Horrible' Prior To IPO, Class Action Case Hears
The Supreme Court of Victoria has heard software company Nuix knew results were "horrible" in the lead up to its 2020 IPO, in the first day of a class action trial brought by shareholders alleging misconduct in the float after the share price fell on the back of downgraded revenue estimates.
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August 03, 2026
Court Clears Unwind Of Brite Frozen Funds in 'Rough Justice'
A Federal Court judge has authorised the receivers of investment manager and pension fund provider Brite Advisors to unwind its client trust assets, pool together the assets and divide them amongst the bulk of the 2,000 beneficiaries according to entitlement and without interest, citing a "rough justice" approach given the complexity of the case.
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August 03, 2026
Justice Pike To Lead NSW Supreme Court Class Actions List
The NSW Supreme Court will place management of all class actions under Justice Ian Pike as part of a broader reshuffle of specialist judicial lists that will take effect from Sept. 7, Chief Justice Andrew Bell AC said in a statement released on Friday.
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July 31, 2026
Judge Rejects CBA Costs Bid Against Law Firm Cornwalls
A Victorian Supreme Court judge has ruled that law firm Cornwalls doesn't owe costs related to bringing Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the receivers it appointed over two companies into a dispute alleging the firm breached its duty of care to the companies.