On 5 March 2026, the non-executive directors of The Star succeeded in their defence to civil penalty proceedings brought against them in the Federal Court by ASIC.
Following a high-profile and lengthy trial in 2025, Justice Lee today found that ASIC had failed to make out its case that the non-executive directors had failed to exercise their duty of care and diligence as directors of The Star.
ASIC succeeded in its case against Mr Bekier, the former CEO, and Ms Martin, the former Chief Legal Officer, of The Star.
Alinea Chambers members Michael Henry SC and Leanne Rich, together with Zoe Hillman, acted for four of the successful non-executive directors, Ms Pitkin, Mr Sheppard, Ms Lahey and Mr Bradley. They were instructed by Jonathan Milner, Stephen Lloyd and Ben Friis-O’Toole of Arnold Bloch Leibler. The judgment can be found here.
