A judge has approved a settlement of up to $180.4 million in a stolen wages class action against the WA government but slashed the law firm’s fees and funder’s commission.
Law firm Gerard Malouf & Partners will move for a solicitors’ common fund order in a class action against Philips Electronics, which will give it an effective contingency fee in the event of a win or settlement.
CBA has attacked two failed class actions’ “misguided” appeal, arguing that requiring companies to disclose incomplete information to shareholders would distort the market.
The Full Court has heard that a judge’s finding on materiality in two failed shareholder class actions against CBA could haveĀ ātroublingā repercussions for insider trading cases and must be overturned.
Two failed class actions against CBA claim a judge used a āfar too onerous testā for materiality in deciding whether the bank should have told the market about deficiencies in its anti-money laundering systems.Ā
The judge overseeing a $180.4 million settlement in a stolen wages class action has railed against Shine Lawyers’ $10 million bill for the costs of registration, saying āsomething has gone seriously wrongā.
A judge has signed off on a $23.1 million cut for funder Augusta of a $100 million settlement in a class action against Colonial First State, which he previously called “strange” and said may not reflect the risk the funder shared with Slater & Gordon in running the case.
A law firm has secured more funds to cover the cost of distributing a $20 million settlement reached in a class action against telco contractor BSA, but not as much as it wanted, with a judge saying the firm would have been stuck with its initial estimate if the administration gig had been put out to tender.
Although carefully reasoned, last week’s landmark judgment by the Full Federal Court finding power to grant contingency fees to class action solicitors has placed the question of statutory authority to award settlement common fund orders on more unsteady ground than before, experts say.
Lawyers are allowed to take a cut from a class action settlement or judgment under a so-called solicitorsā common fund order, the Full Federal Court has ruled, saying they are a permissive use of the courtās power.