Shine Lawyers has been given the go ahead to use two reports produced in three settled PFAS class actions as evidence in its latest case over the Defence Department’s firefighting foam, with a judge saying any implied undertaking not to re-use the material lost force when the information became public.
The judge overseeing three class actions against the Commonwealth over its use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam, which have settled for $212.5 million, said backing by a litigation funder led to a better outcome for group members, who would otherwise have been in the disadvantaged position of “supplicants requesting compensation”.
A judge has given his blessing to a landmark $212.5 million settlement of three class actions over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam at government military bases despite a ālarge numberā of objections.
The settlement of three class actions brought against the Commonwealth of Australia over its alleged use of toxic firefighting foam on government military bases is facing an unusually high number of objections, pushing an approval hearing into a second day as dissenters voice their concerns in court.
The reopening of law firm offices in Melbourne and Sydney may still be months away but firms have given Lawyerly a glimpse of what it might look like when staff do return to the office, from split workforces to strictly enforced health and safety rules. One thing is for sure, COVID-19 has changed the way lawyers will work from now on.
The High Court’s abolition of the so-called Chorley exception does not apply to a party’s in-house counsel, which is still permitted to seek its own legal costs for prosecuting or defending a proceeding, a judge has found.
Dentons has become the latest law firm to adopt belt-tightening measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, announcing cuts to staff and partner pay for the next two months.
The Commonwealth of Australia has called for the appointment of an amicus to scrutinise the $212.5 million settlement reached in several class action against it over allegedly toxic firefighting foam used on government military bases.
As law firms and funders scramble to keep up with COVID-19’s impact on the legal landscape, some have gone above and beyond in creating new technological and service solutions for clients in these unprecedented times.
Nappy maker Rascal + Friends has brought a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a patent held by Japanese competitor Uni-Charm.