Events

The owner of a car parking patent has appealed a judgment that tossed its patent infringement claims and found it made unjustified litigation threats against car parking technology company Ubipark.

The Full Federal Court has answered a question vexing the court for the past four years, ruling that class action judges have the power to make common fund orders at settlement that allow litigation funders to reap a percentage commission beyond their contractual entitlement. 

A judge has declined a union’s bid to throw out an employee class action against McDonald’s after the Full Federal Court confirmed that employee class actions are not precluded by the Fair Work Act. 

A Federal Court judge’s endorsement of the novel idea of a ‘solicitors’ common fund order’ may reverse the trend of class action lawyers running to the Supreme Court of Victoria, where they can earn a contingency fee, to file their cases.

A judge has awarded carriage of a class action against Jaguar Land Rover over allegedly defective diesel filters to a law firm that won a similar case against another car maker, saying the firm’s experience was not a “neutral factor”.

Wealth manager Escala Partners has failed in its bid to restrain two senior financial advisors who defected to rival Crestone from working in wealth management and soliciting its clients.

With bated breath class action litigators and funders have waited for this day, when the Full Federal Court decides the question of power to make common fund orders at settlement. They aren’t the final arbiters, but the judges’ ruling may be no less important for that.

A decision by federal environment minister Tanya Pibersek to greenlight the extension of two mega coal mines in NSW was “legally open” to her, a judge has ruled, despite acknowledging the “existential threat” of climate change. 

A judge has approved the settlement of a class action brought on behalf of sovereign bondholders over the disclosure of climate change risks, despite a late scrap with the government over whether the deal puts a stop to future cases.

A former flight attendant trainee has filed a lawsuit against fly-in fly-out operator Alliance Airlines, which was the subject of a takeover bid by Qantas earlier this year, claiming he was dismissed for complaining of harassment.