Class action experts have knocked several recommendations from the Parliamentary Joint Committee for reforming the class action system, including that group members be guaranteed at least 70 per cent of any settlement or judgment, saying this would be challenging to implement and could make disputes harder to resolve.
A fight over whether a class action applicant must fork over security for costs is not a matter of the strength of the case, says a judge presiding over a class action brought by superannuation holders against Commonwealth Bank of Australia and subsidiaries Colonial First State and Avanteos.
Last-mile logistics software company GetSwift has ceased trading on the ASX after its relocation to Canada got the greenlight by the Federal Court and FIRB despite the company facing ongoing litigation in Australia.
Law firm Slater & Gordon has brought a class action against ANZ alleging former subsidiary OnePath Custodians breached its duties as a trustee of superannuation funds by slugging members with excessive fees to pay commissions to financial advisers.
Major fertility clinic Monash IVF has been hit with a class action on behalf of at least 100 men and women demanding damages for the destruction of potentially viable embryos.
A lawyer for group members in a class action against Toyota is seeking aggregate damages relating to vehicle defects that allegedly had a “significant impact” on fuel consumption.
A group representing plaintiff law firm has lampooned recommendations from the government’s latest inquiry into class actions, including that the country’s continuous disclosure laws be permanently relaxed, saying they give corporations the green light to fleece consumers and mislead investors.
Properties near seven air force bases where allegedly toxic firefighting foam was used experienced a drop in land value because of the “stigma” of contamination, according to an expert report accepted by the Federal Court in a class action seeking compensation from the Federal government.
Lawyers for the lead applicant in a stayed class action against Bayer-owned Monsanto over its weedkiller Roundup cannot access discovered documents in a separate class action against the agricultural giant in advance of mediation next year.
A judge has approved a settlement he previously expressed a “nagging feeling of disquiet about” in a class action against fundraiser Appco Group, after group members “overwhelmingly” supported the proposal and further cash assets were uncovered that increased the settlement amount to $2.05 million.