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Court suppresses details of Grosvenor, Vannin co-funding agreement
A court has granted a request from Grosvenor Litigation Services, the funder that backed two class actions against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal, to suppress the details of a co-funding agreement with Vannin Capital.
In a first, judge says High Court dealt CFOs a total knockout
A judge has found that the High Court's landmark ruling last year blocking common fund orders in the early stages of a class action also barred them from being made at the conclusion of a proceeding, departing from several recent rulings on common fund orders.
Judge greenlights law firm’s $43M payday in VW class actions
After almost five years before the courts, a judge has approved an approximately $120 million settlement of five class actions against Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal, including a "very substantial" $43 million in fees and disbursements for one of the plaintiffs firms.
Scotsburn bushfire class action settles for $10.5M
A class action launched over the Scotsburn bushfire that burnt down 12 homes and ravaged over 4,000 hectares in Victoria in December 2015 has reached a $10.5 million settlement with agricultural machinery company Agrison and insurer Auto & General Insurance Company.
Settling plaintiffs get first dibs on Parkerville bushfire defendant’s assets
The first-past-the-post principle applies to enforcement of settlements in collective actions over a 2014 bushfire in Western Australia, a judge has held, in a ruling that could have ramifications for all class actions.
Early common fund order in stolen wages class action ‘greatly enhanced’ access to justice, judge says
A common fund order made at the outset of a class action against the state of Queensland over stolen wages opened the historic $190 million settlement up to "thousands more" disadvantaged people who were affected by the state government's "discriminatory, unjust...and disgraceful" policies, a judge has said.
First common fund order granted in the wake of High Court ruling
A judge has made a common fund order in approving a $3 million settlement in a class action against mortgage lending and investment company RMBL, the first common fund order granted since the High Court shot down these orders in the early stages of class actions.
Tips from top barristers on litigating in a virtual courtroom
The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced Australian courtrooms into the virtual world, with many barristers and solicitors litigating via phone or video for the first time. Here, some of Australia's top barristers offer tips on how to bring your A game into the virtual realm.
Judge to approve $127M VW class action settlement, but 25% uplift may be axed
After almost five years of litigation, a Federal Court judge said he will approve a $127.1 million settlement of five class actions against Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal, but appeared unwilling to sign off on a 25 per cent uplift in fees sought by one of the plaintiffs firms.
Deloitte partners can’t dodge production order after ‘outrageous’ removal of audit files, Full Court says
Deloitte has lost its appeal of a ruling in a shareholder class action over the collapse of Hastie Group that compelled the production of audit files taken by a partner from the accounting giant’s litigation room, in a ruling that described the actions of the partner as “bordering on contempt” and slammed Deloitte for “cynically” exploiting the situation.