Lara O’Rorke

A class action by property owners near a GrainCorp factory in rural Victoria has defeated the company's bid for security for costs, with a judge finding the orders would "stultify" the proceedings.

A class action by property owners near a GrainCorp factory in rural Victoria has defeated the company's bid for security for costs, with a judge finding the orders would stultify the proceedings.

A judge has refused to order a competitive tender process for the administration of a $549 million settlement in a class action over the Morrison government’s Robodebt scheme, while also questioning the funder’s bid for a $71 million commission.

Women who donated eggs to their same-sex partners have been removed from a class action that claims women and lesbian couples were unlawfully denied Medicare rebates for IVF.

Melbourne Water has won more time to put on its defence in a class action by retirement village residents over the flooding of the Maribyrnong River, as it considers whether to join third parties to the case. 

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.

Agricultural giant Graincorp has resolved an application for personal costs against a solicitor, which it sought after trial in a class action over alleged noise and odour pollution from a Victorian factory was vacated and an in-principle settlement did not proceed. 

The federal government has flagged its intention to bring a strike-out application to narrow the group member definition in a class action by single women and same-sex couples who were denied Medicare rebates for IVF.

The funder of a class action over the Morrison government’s Robodebt scheme will seek a 15 per cent commission at an upcoming settlement approval hearing, a court has heard, after the case settled for a record $548.5 million. 

A judge has refused to force the sale of a Footscray property used for logistics services, estimated to be worth $23 million, saying an agreement by the co-owners to sell it by a deadline could no longer be performed.