Commercial Disputes AU
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October 14, 2026
IAG Says White Oak Failed To Heed Greensill Fraud Risks
Insurer IAG told the Federal Court of Australia on Wednesday that White Oak set up fraud alerts about Greensill Capital and its investment opportunities shortly before deals with the collapsed supply-chain financier, alleging it failed to exercise reasonable care.
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October 14, 2026
Dentons Hires Ex-DLA Piper Partner To Bolster Energy Team
Former DLA Piper partner Jack Brumpton has joined Dentons' energy, resources and infrastructure team as partner, the law firm said in a statement on Monday.
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October 13, 2026
JB Hi-Fi Customer Says 'Pressured' To Buy Warranty
A customer leading a class action alleging JB Hi-Fi misled consumers into buying extended warranties of little or no value told the Supreme Court of Victoria he felt pressured by sales staff to buy the extra cover for a refrigerator.
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October 13, 2026
Judge Needs More Info To Approve $105M Qantas Settlement
The Federal Court declined on Tuesday to approve a proposed $105 million class action settlement over credits for Qantas flights cancelled during COVID-19, saying it needed more information to assess whether the proposed fees and deductions were reasonable.
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October 13, 2026
Capco Can Seek Records Over Alleged NTT Staff Poaching
The Supreme Court of NSW has given the green light to a discovery application by a Hong Kong consulting company considering suing its former employee, his new employer and a recruiter after 11 staff followed him to the new workplace.
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October 12, 2026
Former Cubbie Station Owner Appeals Winding Up In Australia
Cubbie Station's former owner has appealed a Federal Court ruling allowing a creditor to seek its winding up in Australia to enforce Chinese judgments, after the judge found it had conducted business locally through its subsidiaries.
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October 12, 2026
Stefanovic Settles Podcast Firm Oppressive Conduct Claims
Former Today host Karl Stefanovic has settled a lawsuit brought by his business partner over the running of their joint podcast company, which included the namesake The Karl Stefanovic Show, including the purchase of her stake in the business.
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October 12, 2026
3M Says Victorian Law Can't Support Federal $2B PFAS Claim
Manufacturer 3M has challenged the Commonwealth's reliance on state environment laws to bring its mammoth $2 billion PFAS claim against the company in the Federal Court of Australia.
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October 12, 2026
ANZ Loses $117M Insurer's Fight Over Class Settlements
ANZ has failed to convince a Federal Court of Australia judge that its insurers must cover more than $116.9 million in settlements and defence costs related to two class actions because they were outside the excess policies' definition of loss.
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October 12, 2026
Chubb's Ex-Australia Head Alleges Fair Work Breaches
Chubb Insurance's former head of Australian operations has filed a Fair Work claim against the company, its senior executive staff and members of the board in the Federal Court of Australia.
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October 12, 2026
Holding Redlich Adds 2 Litigation Partners In 6-Lawyer Hire
Former Cornwalls partner Duncan Travis and former Cooper Grace Ward special counsel Bridget Camilleri have joined Holding Redlich as partners in its dispute resolution and litigation practice, alongside a new special counsel, senior associate, associate and lawyer, the law firm announced on Friday.
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October 12, 2026
Pentridge Developer Denied Costs Stay After $845M Suit Toss
A Victorian Supreme Court judge has refused to stay a costs order against the collapsed developer of the Pentridge Village housing project to facilitate a new lawsuit after previously tossing its roughly $845 million suit against the project's financing company, saying the proposed stay was a delay tactic.
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October 12, 2026
White Oak Must Post $8M More For Insurers' Trial Costs
The Federal Court of Australia has ordered White Oak Global Advisors to pay another $8 million in cost securities in its ongoing trial against insurance giants IAG and BCC Tokio Marine, roughly half of what the defendants had requested ahead of the months-long proceedings.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Tosses Ex-Neometals Exec's Whistleblower Claim
The High Court of Australia has refused the application of former Neometals executive Christian Reiche for special leave to appeal the dismissal of his whistleblower victimization claim against the company.
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October 09, 2026
Fortescue Sues Supplier Over Faulty Iron Bridge Pipeline
Mining giant Fortescue and its Iron Bridge joint venture partner Formosa Steel have sued pipe supplier Clover Pipelines and Turkish subcontractor Superlit Boru in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, alleging breach of contract and misleading and deceptive conduct.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Won't Revive CITIC Dispute Over Mine Expansion
The High Court has rejected Sino Iron's appeals against a state court ruling that refused to force billionaire Clive Palmer's Mineralogy to help expand an iron ore mining project worth more than $12 billion in Western Australia.
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October 09, 2026
Palmer's Nephew Held In Contempt Over Nickel Exam
The Federal Court of Australia has found Clive Mensink, the fugitive nephew of billionaire businessman Clive Palmer, in contempt of court for failing to attend a compulsory examination into Queensland Nickel's collapse.
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October 09, 2026
KPMG Review Finds Ethical Culture 'Say-Do Gap'
KPMG Australia's ethical culture has a 'say-do gap' between what management says and does that is compounded by governance weaknesses, according to external advisory firm Principia Advisory's assessment of its whistleblower framework and speak-up environment.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Won't Hear E-Commerce Confidential Info Case
The High Court of Australia on Thursday refused special leave to appeal a ruling that a former employee of online retailer New Aim Pty Ltd improperly shared confidential information, including the identity and contact details of 17 reliable suppliers, after leaving the company.
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October 09, 2026
AICD Wants Taskforce to Cut Regulations, Climate Reporting
An Australian Institute of Company Directors-commissioned report published Thursday calls for enforceable "shot clocks" on regulators to meet deadlines, adjusting climate-reporting requirements to exclude another 3000 businesses and extending automatic mutual recognition licenses to reach 168,000 workers.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Rejects Bid To Sue Plumber's Insurers Directly
The High Court of Australia has refused a special leave application appealing a Victorian Supreme Court case finding a claimant alleging defective plumbing cannot pursue the plumber's insurers directly without first establishing the plumber's liability, in a judgment published Thursday.
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October 09, 2026
Chief Justice Tells New Silks To Bring Juniors To Court
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Chief Justice William Alstergren has urged newly elected Senior Counsel to "always appear" in court with a junior legal professional, citing the "desperate need" for junior barristers to attend in-person.
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October 08, 2026
Fed Court Applies Australian Privilege Rule To Japan Report
Australian legal professional privilege can protect documents produced in a jurisdiction where the doctrine is less clearly defined, the Federal Court has ruled, providing a "helpful point of clarity" for cross-border litigation, experts say.
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October 08, 2026
JB Hi-Fi Says Warranties Offered More Than Class Claims
Retailer JB Hi-Fi has denied misleading eight million consumers with purportedly worthless extended warranties, arguing in a hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne that the guarantees offered benefits not automatically available under consumer law and included additional protections like wear and tear.
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October 08, 2026
Gadens Adds Finance, Property Partners Amid Growth
Gadens has appointed HWL Ebsworth's financial services partner Mizu Ardra and Denton's property partner Natasha Murgatroyd to its Melbourne and Perth respectively, the law firm said in a statement on Friday.
NSW Appeals Court Upholds Mayne Win Over Cosette Deal Exit
The Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW on Wednesday dismissed with costs U.S. pharmaceutical company Cosette's appeal over its attempt to terminate the $672 million acquisition of Mayne Pharma, upholding that weaker sales did not meet the agreement's material adverse change threshold.
State AGs Defend Under-16 Social Media Ban At High Court
All eight state and territory attorneys general have filed intervening submissions in Reddit's High Court of Australia challenge to the federal ban on social media accounts for under-16s, arguing the restriction does not breach the constitution's implied freedom of political communication.
ACCC Sues Major Egg Producers For Cartel Behaviour
The ACCC has sued 12 major Australian egg suppliers and producers in the Federal Court, alleging cartel behavior and competition law breaches arising from coordinated decisions since at least October 2020.
NSW Appeals Court Upholds Mayne Win Over Cosette Deal Exit
The Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW on Wednesday dismissed with costs U.S. pharmaceutical company Cosette's appeal over its attempt to terminate the $672 million acquisition of Mayne Pharma, upholding that weaker sales did not meet the agreement's material adverse change threshold.
State AGs Defend Under-16 Social Media Ban At High Court
All eight state and territory attorneys general have filed intervening submissions in Reddit's High Court of Australia challenge to the federal ban on social media accounts for under-16s, arguing the restriction does not breach the constitution's implied freedom of political communication.
ACCC Sues Major Egg Producers For Cartel Behaviour
The ACCC has sued 12 major Australian egg suppliers and producers in the Federal Court, alleging cartel behavior and competition law breaches arising from coordinated decisions since at least October 2020.
Editor's Picks
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Toyota Strikes Record $750M Deal To End Class Actions
Toyota has agreed to settle two class actions alleging defects in diesel engine vehicles for $750 million in the Federal Court of Australia, the largest class action settlement in Australia since the Commonwealth's Robodebt settlement in 2026.
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High Court Emission Ruling's Narrow Focus May Blunt Impact
Climate activists have welcomed a High Court ruling requiring a planning commission to reconsider a coal mine expansion's approval to account for indirect emissions — but environmental and planning lawyers say its narrow legal basis could limit its wider impact.
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.