The Western Australian state government has hit back at a class action brought by Indigenous workers seeking to recover unpaid wages, saying there was no breach of duty because the law at the time allowed the workers to be employed without pay.
A Federal Court judge has ordered that a referee consider how junior barristers were used in assessing the legal costs in an insurance class action against Westpac which the bank has agreed to pay up to $30 million to settle.
Westpac has agreed to pay up to $30 million to settle a long-running class action over allegedly excessive insurance premiums which included a trip to the High Court that resulted in common fund orders being struck down in the early stages of class actions.
A judge has found he has power to order that opt out notices be sent to a limited number of Boral shareholders eligible to join two class actions that faced off last month in a class action beauty parade.
A judge has ordered the applicant in a shareholder class action against former Arrium directors and KPMG over allegedly misleading statements made ahead of Arrium’s $754 million capital raising in 2014 to explain how the amount by which the mining company’s assets were allegedly overvalued was calculated.
Slater & Gordon has argued discovery is becoming “unduly onerous” in a cross-claim filed by Arnold Bloch Leibler in a class action accusing the law firm of breaching its duty of care by greenlighting Slate & Gordon’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Quindell.
A judge has slashed security for costs sought in a case brought by the liquidators of engineering and construction company Forge Group after the former directors targeted in the action failed to explain why they had retained multiple law firms.
Phi Finney McDonald will amend its funding agreement with Therium in a shareholder class action against Boral after a judge found that an irrevocable opt out provision placed the law firm in a “manifest position of conflict”.
A lengthy dispute over insurance in a settled class action against sandalwood producer Quintis has been resolved, with the Federal Court rejecting a challenge by two insurers to the rectification of policies that could provide a further $11.25 million in recoveries to group members.
A judgment in a heated carriage fight between three class actions against construction giant Boral provides some guidance to law firms about conduct that could potentially compromise their case for why they should be crowned the victor in a class action beauty parade.