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Last year was an exciting one for class action lawyers, with monumental court decisions on competing cases, cross-jurisdictional spats, proportionality in settlements and the power of judges to decide how a recovery is distributed. Here, top class action litigators tell us what the most significant rulings of 2018 were and why the decisions will continue to matter this year.
Treasury Wine Estates can't claim its legal costs in defending against two stayed shareholder class actions because the terms of a settlement in a third class action barred the company from recovering anything from group members in related cases, a court has heard.
A judge has chosen a winner in a battle of law firms vying to run a massive shareholder class action against BHP over the fatal collapse of a dam at its Brazilian mine, saying the funding arrangement behind the successful case would best serve class members.
A judge looked dimly Monday on a pitch by baby food maker Bellamy's to limit to $4.5 million the costs incurred by the law firms leading joint class actions against the company, saying the request was "very ambitious".
A judge has expressed skepticism of Bannister Law's plan to hire powerhouse US lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the September 11th victims compensation and BP oil spill funds, to mediate class actions against Volkwagen over its emissions cheating scandal, saying the car maker had shown no interest in settling despite the risk of "horrendous" penalties.
Maurice Blackburn stands to walk away with $5.8 million for its work on a consumer class action against Cash Converters that resulted in a $16.4 million settlement.
And then there were four. Plaintiffs law firm Slater & Gordon wants to consolidate its AMP shareholder class action with Maurice Blackburn's case and hand over the reins to its rival, a deal signed the day the Full Federal Court affirmed the power of judges to shut down competing class actions.
The showdown between five law firms vying to lead a class action over the AMP fees for no service scandal kicked off in the NSW Supreme Court Thursday with counsel for one case saying the contest, although costly and consuming, would ultimately be a win for all class action participants.
AMP's advice executive Jack Regan, the witness who aired the firm's fees-for-no-service dirty laundry at the Royal Commission, has retired, a day before five law firms compete to lead a class action over the scandal.
A judge overseeing the marathon hearing in the class action over the 2011 Queensland floods has allowed the lead applicant to submit further evidence after it claimed defendant Seqwater engaged in "trial by ambush".