William Edwards

As the High Court hears oral arguments this week on the reach of power to make common fund orders for firms and funders bringing class actions, Lawyerly gives a cheat sheet on what the justices could do.

A judge has approved a $20 million settlement in a class action against NAB, despite initial concerns about the “moral hazard” of paying fees incurred by the applicant’s former lawyers to prepare “sub-optimal pleadings”.

Payments processing company EML has won more time to respond to a new pleading in a shareholder class action over its alleged failure to disclose Ireland central bank’s concerns with its anti-money laundering compliance.

In deciding an evidentiary dispute in a shareholder class action against building materials giant Boral, a judge has sounded off over the increasing costs of expert evidence produced in group proceedings.

A guarantor of developer Westgem Investments can amend her claim against Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank related to the financing for a commercial development in Perth’s Raine Square.

A shareholder class action has slammed as “nonsensical” Fletcher Building’s claim that a judge’s public comments in his previous role at Maurice Blackburn created an appearance of bias against corporate defendants.

A judge who was previously the head of class actions at Maurice Blackburn has questioned a bid by Fletcher Building that he recuse himself from presiding over a shareholder case against the construction company.

A judge has signed off on a $38 million settlement in a shareholder class action against Mayne Pharma but has slashed a 27.9 per cent commission for the funder that backed the case. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Andrew Watson approved the settlement on 19 December, including $6 million in legal costs and a 25.7 per…

Maurice Blackburn is stuck paying $5.4 million in security in a flex commissions class action against Macquarie, with a judge saying it represents a “business risk willingly undertaken”.

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