Class action settlements hit major milestones last year, with the year’s largest settlements totalling $1.6 billion and one case resolving for a historic $548.5 million.
A judge has ordered the administrator for two class actions over PFAS contamination that settled for $153 million to pay the leftover funds to group members rather than to charities, saying it was not appropriate “to go around making donations”.
A judge has signed off on Westpac’s $130 million settlement in a class action over flexible commissions paid to car dealers, bringing to an end three cases brought by Maurice Blackburn against lenders.
A judge is mulling whether to declass a group proceeding against the Australian Football League and Geelong Football Club, saying after three years of pre-trial procedures, the case is officially “out of hand”.
The Australian Football League and Geelong Football Club have brought applications seeking to strip a case over on-field concussions of class action status.
An email to lawyers at Clifford Chance relied on to show investor Fiona Lock’s understanding of a contested $150 million profit sharing deal with trading platform Pepperstone did not open the door to further correspondence.
Westpac has agreed to fork over $130 million to settle a class action over payment of flexible commissions to car dealers, a practice that was banned by the corporate regulator seven years ago.
Westpac and two other lenders have won their cases alleging they were scammed out of $500 million in loans to the Forum group of companies.
A judge has criticised the pleadings in class actions against ANZ, Macquarie and Westpac over flexible commission schemes for car dealers, saying they were “inappropriate and unhelpful” in referring to documents in the banking royal commission.
Banks targeted in long-running class actions over flexible commission schemes for car dealers are resisting the plaintiffs’ bid to amend their pleadings to “get around” the defence that certain claims are time-barred.