The Federal Court’s top judge has refused a bid by the lead applicant in a class action against Crown Resorts to have the case declared a priority matter to allow Melbourne-based lawyers access to childcare while they prepare for a six-week trial.
The lead applicant in a securities class action against the directors and auditors of laser technology firm Arasor has been hit with costs for its “completely unsatisfactory” conduct in its failed pursuit of over $508,000 in legal costs spent in disputes with the ATO and funder International Litigation Partners.
The son of controversial class action lawyer Mark Elliott has hired a big gun barrister to represent him in the Banksia class action proceedings and will be asking the judge overseeing the case against him to step aside.
The legal watchdog in Victoria will be asked to probe potential misconduct against the legal team behind the controversial Banksia Securities class action for their fees in a separate class action, which last year settled for $40 million.
The lead applicant in a shareholder class action against Crown Resorts will ask the Federal Court to declare the proceedings a priority matter so that lawyers readying the case for an upcoming trial in Melbourne can access childcare despite stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria.
An impending three-week trial for the Robodebt class action may be in danger due to stage 4 lockdown measures in place in Victoria to control a second wave of coronavirus cases, with the top lawyer for the class telling the court he might need to step down due to homeschooling obligations if the lockdown overlaps with the trial.
A judge has narrowed discovery in a class action against the Commonwealth of Australia over allegedly unlawful Robodebt payments, criticising the lead applicants for persisting with an approach to discovery that “was not a particularly helpful one”.
Elderly victims of Ponzi schemer Bradley Sherwin have told the government’s class action inquiry of their “horrendous class action journey”, which led to a “pathetic outcome” in which the majority of a $12 million settlement with the Bank of Queensland went to the law firm and funder behind the case.
A litigation funder’s average rate of return on its investment in shareholder class actions was one of a number of factors weighed by a judge in approving a 25 per cent funding cut from the $42 million settlement in a class action against dairy cooperative Murray Goulburn.
The parents of an Australian national who was killed aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have successfully appealed a decision blocking them from participating in the settlement of a class action, with an appeals court judge describing as “disturbing” the conduct of their legal team in the group proceeding.