Fiona Forsyth

Class action settlements leaped in value last year, with three settlements topping the $200 million mark.

Funder LLS has urged the court to approve its 20 per cent cut of a $202 million settlement in a stolen wages class action, saying that reducing the “bottom end” rate could deter investments in public interest class actions.

The Commonwealth says funder LLS should not be allowed a 20 per cent cut of a stolen wages class action settlement of up to $202 million, arguing it could produce an “excessive deduction”.

Medical device maker Bayer has successfully defended a class action over its Essure contraceptive, with a judge finding the evidence fell short of proving the device caused chronic inflammation.

A judge has questioned a contingency fee bid by Slater & Gordon in a class action against Insurance Australia, saying the risks of the case were inherent to almost every class action.

A court has approved a settlement worth up to $202 million in a stolen wages class action against the government, but will hear further argument on the legal costs of the case.

A judge presiding over two competing class actions against Harvey Norman has granted the lawyers more time to confer on whether they can reach a deal to run the cases together. 

Shine Lawyers wants to claim $24.5 million in legal costs in a stolen wages class action on behalf of Northern Territory First Nations people, a sum a judge called “eye watering”.

As two class actions against Harvey Norman try to hash out a deal before competing to run the litigation, a judge has issued a warning to other law firms mulling their own actions.

The state of Victoria is resisting a class action’s bid to identify police officers recorded using capsicum spray against protestors at a mining conference in 2019.