A NAB-owned trustee is facing a possible class action over $100 million in allegedly excessive fees charged to super fund members.
Slater & Gordon has filed a class action against life sciences giant Bayer over allegedly defective contraceptive implants that caused serious side effects, requiring many patients fitted with the devices to have hysterectomies.
A Federal Court judge has appointed a costs referee in a shareholder class action against two units of dairy co-op Murray Goulburn over a 2016 profit forecast revision which recently settled for $42 million.
Boutique class actions law firm Phi Finney McDonald has won its bid to reserve costs incurred before its case was permanently stayed in the AMP shareholder class action beauty contest, after the firm racked up at least 1,345 hours in “sunk costs”.
A judge overseeing competing consumer class actions against AMP over superannuation fees said he would be “reluctant” to hold a contest between the two cases, as the applicants in the rival proceedings tell the court they are in talks about possible consolidation.
A judge has released his reasons for consolidating two shareholder class actions against logistics company Brambles over opposition by the lead applicant in one of the competing cases, saying the interests of group members trumped those of the lawyers and funders in the case.
Slater & Gordon has struck back against allegations by a former senior solicitor that he was fired after making complaints about the law firm’s arrangement with a third-party funder for personal injury clients, denying any unethical practices and arguing the lawyer’s termination was part of a cost-cutting restructure.
AMP is a facing a second class action for allegedly charging excessive fees on more than two million superannuation accounts, setting up another potential class action beauty pageant.
Facing cross claims by Pitcher Partners in two shareholder class actions alleging the accounting firm wrongly signed off on Slater & Gordon’s financial reports ahead of a share price nosedive, the law firm and its ex-directors say they relied on the auditor to ensure the veracity of the statements.
The Western Australian parliament will this week introduce a new class actions regime modelled on the federal scheme, in a move the state Attorney-General says will enhance access to justice and improve efficiency.