Charles Parkinson

As proof of its popularity as a class action jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of Victoria will hear opening submissions in three class action trials on Monday, an unprecedented number in a single day for the court.

Noting the aging group members, a judge has pushed the parties in two class actions against aged care facilities over COVID-19 outbreaks to shoot for a 2027 or early-2028 trial date.

A shareholder class action against Arrium directors and auditor KPMG over the $4 billion collapse of the steel manufacturer is seeking to amend its case, saying a “misreading” of the original pleading is no basis to refuse the application.

A collapsed developer and its builder have failed again in their dispute against a financier over the Pentridge Village development in Melbourne, with an appeals court taking a critical view of years of delays.

The board administering the ESSSuper fund, which is facing a class action alleging it miscalculated the entitlements of transport shift workers in Victoria, has denied any liability, saying it was not involved in determining how entitlements were calculated.

After more than a year on ice, two class actions against age care facilities over COVID-19 outbreaks are set to resume late this year, following a month-long criminal trial that kicks off next week. 

General Motors has defeated a class action by Australian car dealers over its decision to retire the Holden brand, with a judge finding the car maker did not breach its agreements.

General Motors has failed to overturn a decision that put it on the hook for the applicant’s full costs in a partial settlement in a class action on behalf of Holden dealers, with an appeals court finding GM could not “walk away” from the ordinary meaning of the phrase ‘the plaintiff’s costs of the proceedings’.

An appeals court has questioned General Motors’ construction of its settlement with the applicant in a class action on behalf of Holden dealers, as the car maker seeks to overturn a ruling that put it on the hook for the applicant's full costs.

A judge has rebuffed a developer’s bid to revive a $400 million lawsuit against an investor after it failed to comply with a guillotine order, saying it was not an adequate explanation that the firm of solicitors acting for it lacked the resources of the defendant’s Big Six outfit.