The judge overseeing a group of class actions against car manufacturers over faulty Takata airbags has questioned a simplified group registration and opt out process proposed by the law firm leading the cases, saying it would “invite a moronic approach” to sign up.
3A Composites has slammed the pleadings in a class action against it over allegedly combustible cladding, questioning whether the stated common issues are actually common to all group members.
The judge overseeing proceedings brought against logistics company GetSwift has refused the corporate regulator’s request for another year’s worth of documents, saying it could effectively require the company to start the discovery process over again.
A judge has ordered a group of banks facing a competition class action over alleged foreign exchange rate-rigging to hand over documents they produced as part of settlement agreements in class actions in the US and Canada.
A judge has refused to join the insurer of collapsed Sydney builder Reed Constructions to insolvent trading proceedings brought by the company’s liquidators, after finding it was unreasonable to expect the insurance company to irrevocably confirm coverage.
Collapsed engineering and construction company Forge Group has agreed to settle a shareholder class action over alleged continuous disclosure breaches, which will see the funder pocket about $7.5 million.
A court has barred US drug company Merck Sharp & Dohme from denying that an agreement made with German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA was governed by German law, settling a key question before a trade mark case between the two drug giants goes to trial.
Rival law firms Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald will be allowed to work together without consolidating their separate shareholder class actions against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, after a judge ruled that the bank had overstated the potential for extra costs and delays.
German-based cladding manufacturer 3A Composites has foreshadowed potential cross claims against third party engineers and certifiers in one of two class actions brought over allegedly dangerous combustible cladding used in countless buildings across Australia.
Noting the “significant and beneficial reduction” in recent funding rates, the judge overseeing a shareholder class action against recycling company Sims Metal Management has signed off on an order capping the commission of the funders at 25 per cent of any net proceeds and setting a minimum 50 per cent of any recovery for group members.