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.
The first-past-the-post principle applies to enforcement of settlements in collective actions over a 2014 bushfire in Western Australia, a judge has held, in a ruling that could have ramifications for all class actions.
Arnold Bloch Leibler has been granted access to due diligence docs related to Slater and Gordon’s $1.2 billion acquisition of professional services firm Quindell, to use in its defence of a class action over advice it gave on the troubled acquisition.
A judge has signed off on a $49.5 million settlement in a class action against National Australia Bank over ‘junk insurance’, including millions in fees for the firm that brought the case on a no-win, no-fee basis, despite calling the settlement sum a “substantial compromise”.
The parties in two class actions against 7-Eleven brought on behalf of franchisees have agreed to delay an upcoming hearing by ten months, due to challenges with discovery, evidence and witness statements resulting from coronavirus-related restrictions.
A common fund order made at the outset of a class action against the state of Queensland over stolen wages opened the historic $190 million settlement up to “thousands more” disadvantaged people who were affected by the state government’s “discriminatory, unjust…and disgraceful” policies, a judge has said.
A judge has declined to put a Maurice Blackburn-led class action against AMP on hold while the High Court decides whether to overturn a ruling awarding the firm carriage of the matter following a high-stakes battle against three other law firms.
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.
The settlement of two shareholder class actions against sandalwood producer Quintis has been delayed after the company’s eleventh-hour revelation that it may have an extra $40 million in insurance.
Dairy cooperative Murray Goulburn has launched proceedings against AIG Australia seeking to recover 20 per cent of a $42 million class action settlement it paid, plus the legal costs of defending two class actions.