The dark arts of delay analysis turn ultra violet – or ‘don’t ignore the facts’
White Constructions Pty Ltd v PBS Holdings Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1166 (6 September 2019) (Hammerschlag J) Delay and, separately, disruption claims are common sources of dispute in construction projects. Compounding what are usually factually complicated scenarios are issues of terminology and experts’ competing views about the correct analysis and approach to assessing the […]
ReadmoreFederal Government and Cadbury seek leave to appeal Federal Court decision that left bad taste in employers’ mouths
The Federal Government and major employer Mondelez, who operates a Cadbury plant in Tasmania, will seek leave to appeal last month’s landmark Full Federal Court decision regarding paid personal/carers’ leave, to the High Court. The decision concerned the meaning of the word “day” for the purpose of the entitlement to 10 days paid personal/carer’s leave […]
ReadmoreLife cycle of litigation beyond life: deceased estates
What do you do when there is no-one to sue? In the Supreme and County Courts in Victoria, there is a civil procedure when the defendant is deceased or dies and a cause of action survives. See below our overview of this procedure. Click here to view the full size PDF. […]
ReadmoreBellamy’s cry for “cost capping” in competing McKay and Basil class actions dismissed by the Full Court of the Federal Court
On 23 August 2019, the Full Court of the Federal Court in Bellamy’s Australia Limited v Basil [2019] FCAFC 147 (Bellamy’s) unanimously dismissed the applicant’s application for leave to appeal “costs capping” orders, initially rejected by the primary judge at first instance. Bellamy’s Australia Limited (BAL) is the respondent to two class actions: McKay Super […]
ReadmoreSettling a class action – common fund orders and legal costs
On 30 July 2019, Justice Parker handed down a decision in the Supreme Court of NSW class action Tredrea v KPMG Financial Advisory Services (Australia) Pty Ltd (No 3) [2019] (Tredrea) refusing both to grant a Common Fund Order (sought by the funder at a rate of 30% of the gross settlement reached) or approve the […]
ReadmoreConsumer data right coming to the energy sector
The consumer data right (CDR) will provide consumers the right to access specific data in relation to them held by businesses, and to authorise access to this data by trusted and accredited third parties. The aim of the CDR is to provide consumers with more control over their data, which would give consumers more agency […]
ReadmoreFMCG Express | September Edition
Gadens has brought together a selection of articles from our top lawyers operating across the FMCG sector, to bring you the September edition of the FMCG Express. Covering recent stories such as the Kraft vs Bega dispute, the advertising campaign by Ad Standards and Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited v Redbubble Limited [2019] […]
ReadmoreFederal Court finds ticket reseller engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct
In the recent case of ACCC v Viagogo AG, the Federal Court considered whether Viagogo engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by acting in a way liable to mislead consumers when reselling event tickets in breach of the Australian Consumer Law. This decision is a reminder to businesses to accurately describe the nature of the products or services […]
ReadmoreAFCA now considering legacy complaints dating back to 2008
Until June 2020, AFCA can consider certain Legacy Complaints dating back to 1 January 2008 when administering the AFCA external dispute resolution scheme. This may pose evidentiary challenges both in terms of retention of relevant documents and staff recollection of events which occurred over a decade ago. The expansion of AFCA’s jurisdiction also means that […]
ReadmoreCourt criticises ASIC for lack of evidence to support inquiry into liquidators
The recent Supreme Court of NSW decision of ASIC v Wily & Hurst, provides useful guidance regarding the Court’s criteria to inquire into a liquidator’s conduct under former section 536 of the Corporations Act 2001(Cth). The decision is relevant as to how a Court may determine such an application made under the Insolvency Practice Schedule (Corporations). The decision […]
ReadmoreEmployees’ priority in the insolvency of a trading trust: the Amerind case in the High Court
In the Amerind case, the High Court has unanimously held that the former staff of an insolvent trustee company have the same rights to priority payments as the employees of an insolvent non-trustee company. In doing so, the Court settled a long-standing debate about the nature of a trustee’s right to indemnify itself from trust property for trust […]
ReadmorePotential reform of Australia’s federal discrimination laws
The Australian Human Rights Commission is currently reviewing Australia’s federal discrimination laws and considering what reforms should be made to those laws. To that end, the Commission recently released a discussion paper, “Free and Equal: An Australian Conversation on Human Rights“, setting out its preliminary views on the priorities for reform. The paper notes that […]
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