A planned class action by Shine Lawyers, pegged as “Australia’s largest class action,” over allegedly toxic firefighting foam at eight Commonwealth military bases won’t be filed this month and has turned to bookbuilding following a landmark High Court ruling striking down common fund orders at the outset of class actions.
A Federal Court judge has ordered Westpac to pay a $9.15 million penalty after one of its financial advisers breached the best interests duty by giving customers bad advice that resulted in millions in losses.
A beauty contest to lead a class action against Monsanto over its allegedly cancer-causing weedkiller Roundup could be on foot, with the US chemical giant now facing one class action in the Federal Court and another in the Victorian Supreme Court.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has raised preliminary competition concerns about Bauer Media’s planned $40 million acquisition of Pacific Magazines, a deal that would combine Australia’s two largest magazine publishers, saying competition needs to be preserved even in declining markets.
Arguing it shouldn’t be the victim of an “accident of timing”, the funder that bankrolled the landmark stolen wages class action is fighting to save a common fund order granting it 20 per cent of a $190 million settlement in the case, despite a recent High Court judgment shooting down the orders.
A Federal Court judge has frowned on a bid to transfer 12 individual cases over allegedly defective pelvic mesh to various state and territory courts, saying the manner in which the cases had been brought reminded him of the 1990’s when “mobile phones resembled house bricks” and suggesting the cases could be brought as a class action.
A judge overseeing a consolidated class action against four AMP subsidiaries and two trustees over allegedly excessive superannuation fees has ordered the respondents to coordinate after the lead applicants raised concerns about duplication of work.
A six-week trial scheduled for February in a criminal cartel case against mobile equipment provider Country Care Group could be vacated a second time as lawyers for the defendants seek to appeal the judge’s planned directions to a jury in the groundbreaking case.
A Federal Court judge has signed off on an $18 million settlement in a shareholder class action against UGL over its Ichthys power plant disclosures under which $8 million will be distributed to shareholders.
Westpac is facing a class action on behalf shareholders in three countries over its alleged anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing breaches and disclosures.
For information on rights and reprints, contact subscriptions@lawyerly.com.au
