Maurice Blackburn’s funding model rejected by a judge overseeing a beauty parade of class actions against BHP appeared structured to incentivise the firm to push up its legal fees, an appeals court said Monday on the first day of a high stakes hearing challenging a decision to shut down two of three competing cases against the mining giant.
La Trobe University has reached a settlement with the head of its law school, Dr Patrick Keyzer, to resolve legal action alleging it breached its workplace obligations when it suspended him over bullying complaints. The university dropped its disciplinary proceedings against Keyzer, with no adverse findings being made.
The National Australia Bank has filed a lawsuit against its Singapore-based captive insurance unit and three syndicates of global insurance giant Lloyd’s seeking coverage for two consumer redress schemes related to the bank’s sale of interest rate hedging products and fixed rate tailored business loans.
A judge has found a senior female partner at Piper Alderman has not provided sufficient evidence that the firm moved to oust her from its ranks because she is a woman, in a ruling dismissing her bid for an order halting the firm from moving forward with a meeting on the proposed expulsion.
A judge has signed off on the confidential settlement of a shareholder class action brought against KPMG relating to the failed $830 million hostile takeover of mining firm Discovery Metals, despite objections that the settlement process was “unfair and unjust”.
Nationwide News’ appeal of actor Geoffrey Rush’s record $2.9 million defamation win will argue the aggravated damages finding in actress Rebel Wilson’s defamation case against Woman’s Day publisher Bauer Media was “plainly wrong”.
An appeals court has slashed a damages judgment against international banknote manufacturer CCL Secure in a case alleging it tricked its Nigerian agent into signing away his commission, cutting the award from $65 million to $1.8 million.
Mortgage lending and investment firm RMBL Investments has been ordered to withdraw all communications with its customers that encouraged them to opt-out of a consumer protection class action against the firm.
The job of a senior Piper Alderman partner is in jeopardy after a court refused to extend an injunction preventing her from being ousted from the partnership while she battles a sex discrimination case against the firm.
A judge’s decision to pick Maurice Blackburn’s no win, no fee class action against AMP over three funded class actions puts the pressure on litigation funders, which will now face more competition from law firms prepared to go it alone, experts say. The ruling also shows the value courts place on funding arrangements that seek to maximise returns for class members, which means class action beauty parades are sure to get less ugly.