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Virgin administration a billables bonanza for top firms
The Virgin Australia administration continues to boost billables at the top end of town, with a short list of “well-funded” buyers revealed on Monday and an intense four weeks ahead as the bidders and their law firms scramble to make binding offers by the mid-June deadline.
J&J won’t ask judge to recuse himself from pelvic mesh appeal
Medical device giant Johnson & Johnson has confirmed it will not seek the recusal of a Federal Court judge from a panel overseeing its pelvic mesh class action appeal, despite earlier raising concerns that he had seen privileged settlement communications.
COVID-19 sees Virgin administrators absolved of liability on unprecedented scale
The administrators of Virgin Australia have been absolved of personal liability for the ongoing operation of the embattled airline on an unprecedented scale, with Australia’s airline duopoly and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic justifying the “extraordinarily wide” orders.
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.
Return-to-work anxiety looms for many lawyers
The prospect of returning to the office may be increasing levels of anxiety among some lawyers, who work in a profession rife with mental health issues that have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an industry mental health manager.
Law firm should personally pay costs for individual pelvic mesh cases, judge says
A judge has found that the law firm behind a plethora of pelvic mesh lawsuits filed in multiple courts should be personally hit with costs for its "keystone cop-like conduct" in handling the proceedings, but has given the firm a week to convince him otherwise.
Car makers won’t take class closure fight to High Court
Seven car makers defending class actions over defective Takata airbags have confirmed they will not be challenging a landmark decision that set aside a pre-settlement class closure order in the cases.
ACCC loses appeal over $205M Pacific National, Aurizon terminal deal
The ACCC has come up short in its appeal of a ruling that dismissed its challenge to Pacific National $205 million acquisition of Aurizon's Acacia Ridge Terminal in Queensland, with the Full Federal Court also releasing Pacific National from an undertaking given to the court.
Landmark shareholder class action against Myer dismissed
A closely watched shareholder class action against Myer over an inflated profit forecast from former CEO Bernie Brookes has been dropped, after a court found the retail giant misled shareholders but that they suffered no harm.