Peter Braham

Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.

A NSW council has agreed to fork over $16 million to settle a class action over a 2009 rubbish tip fire, after the High Court declined to hear the council’s challenge to a ruling that found it was responsible for the damage caused by the fire.

The builder behind the ill-fated Opal Tower has lost its opposition in the NSW Supreme Court to a $3.9 million guarantee requested by the property’s developer, after a judge found it had not proved compliance with its contractual obligations.

A former Norton Rose Fulbright partner has lost his bid to block King & Wood Mallesons and two barristers from representing the law firm in a long-running feud over his termination, with an appeals court calling his allegations against the legal team “unfounded and misconceived”.

Lawyers for Norton Rose Fulbright have flagged their “very real concerns” about further delays to a long-running dispute with a former partner, who has indicated the will try to appeal a ruling partially granting him leave to appeal a discovery decision in the case.

The High Court has cleared the way for victims of a rubbish tip fire that tore through 17,000 acres of farmland in the NSW Riverina to claim more than $20 million in damages in a class action, after rejecting an appeal bid by the local council.

An appeals court has revived a class action against a NSW council over loss and damage resulting from a 2009 tip rubbish fire, and awarded the lead applicant over $100,000 in damages.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is facing claims by the lead applicants in two class actions against failed retail giant Dick Smith alleging its poor accounting practices contributed to the retailer’s collapse.

A former Norton Rose Fulbright partner says he may file a contempt of court motion against the firm for allegedly failing to produce certain evidentiary documents for over two years.