A group of car dealers has hit a unit of car giant General Motors with a class action for allegedly breaching its contract by retiring the Holden brand in Australia last year.
A judge has ordered the lead applicant in a shareholder class action against G8 Education to disclose a previously redacted clause of a costs agreement to the childcare centre operator, saying he failed to show how supplying the information would give G8 a tactical advantage in the case.
Banking giant ANZ, which is facing a class action over a flex commissions scheme by its former car finance business, has admitted that the calculation of car dealers’ commission was aimed at encouraging loans with interest above a “base rate”.
A bid by KPMG to push off the filing of its defence in a class action over misleading statements ahead of Arrium’s $754 million capital raising in 2014 has been shot down by a judge, who said the auditor has known the claims against it since November.
A judge has allowed Treasury Wine Estates to apply for security for costs before a group costs order application is decided, in a class action accusing the wine maker of breaching its continuous disclosure obligations.
A judge has said that Australia’s largest childcare centre operator, G8 Education, can apply for security for costs before a group costs order in a class action accusing the company of failing to keep investors in the loop about increased costs and occupancy rates affecting its 2017 financial performance.
The first ever application for a group costs order will be heard in class actions against ANZ and Westpac, and the judge weighing the application has urged the parties to think carefully about the evidence they will submit in support of their bid for a cut of any settlement or judgment.
Food and beverage manufacturer Freedom Foods and accounting giant Deloitte have been hit with a second class action by irate investors seeking compensation for “accounting errors” that led to a $590 million write-down in November last year.
Whether a contingency fee order made in a Victoria Supreme Court class action can survive a transfer application to a NSW court could be the next high stakes class action issue for the courts.
Fonterra has hit back at claims in a class action that the dairy giant misled farmers and breached its supply agreements when it slashed milk prices and sought a clawback in 2016, saying it warned farmers of the “extreme” volatility in the market.