An Auckland real estate firm accused of unlawfully taking intellectual property from one of New Zealand's largest property databases has settled its case outside court.

Mark Hotchin's attempt to join two trustee companies to the FMA's civil case against him and make them contribute to any potential damages is dismissed.

Mainfreight says an official history of the company is incorrect - and that a big lawsuit against the former owners of a European firm it bought has yet to begin.

Kiwi logistics operator Mainfreight is seeking millions of euros in damages from the former owners of the Wim Bosman Group.

Fair Play on Fees lawyer Andrew Hooker was talking tough as he filed the first documents in the case against ANZ bank at the High Court in Auckland today.

High-powered QC Bruce Gray has been appointed lead counsel in a lawsuit targeting penalty fees charged by New Zealand's biggest banks.

A lawsuit claiming the ANZ Bank charged "excessive" penalty fees is to be filed in the High Court at Auckland today.

More than 4000 extra people have signed up overnight to join a legal bid to sue the banks over penalty fees after ANZ was named yesterday as the first target.

The New Zealand Bankers' Association expects a legal case claiming the ANZ charged its customers unfair penalty fees will be vigorously defended.

The first bank to be taken to court in a law suit targeting "unfair" default fees is to be named today.

Ex-rich-lister Jamie Peters entered into a finance agreement on a luxury car at a time when he was unable to pay debts when they fell due, the High Court heard today.

Two former Dominion Finance directors accused of misleading investors are applying to be discharged from the case.

Almost $650,000 from the sale of a boat that Jamie Peters had personally used ended up in a bank account which the ex-rich-lister accessed during his bankruptcy.

Former rich-lister Jamie Peters has told the High Court he "barely survived" using $80,000 from a friend's bank account.

Belgrave Finance director Stephen Smith has been sentenced to four years in jail.

Investors in two of Allan Hubbard's frozen businesses are getting another payout, their statutory managers said today.

Owners of apartments in Auckland's five-star Metropolis tower are pitted against one another in battles which have ranged from cat-keeping to who sits on the body corporate.

A resident of New Zealand's tallest apartment tower has lost a bid to injunct body corporate members.

The Commerce Commission says it cannot comment on whether it has reached any resolution in its long-running air cargo proceedings against Air New Zealand.

Defamation action launched by Hanover's Mark Hotchin and Eric Watson against the former chairman of the Shareholders Association will be heard by a judge alone

The Financial Markets Authority still wants Mark Hotchin to be repaid the $12.2 million he put towards an Auckland mansion, despite the businessman's lawyer not pursuing the full amount at the end of a High Court dispute.

Investors in the late Allan Hubbard's frozen Aorangi Securities have been told they can expect to be repaid most, if not all, of their capital.

Kim Dotcom's company Mega is warily eyeing proposed legislation that may oblige it to open its systems to surveillance by spy agencies the GCSB and SIS.