Compliance and legal specialist Sophie Grace has rejected allegations it was responsible for defunct forex trader Gallop International Group’s collapse after it allegedly loaned $15.4 million in investor funds to the company’s director in Hong Kong.
If evidence were needed that courts are not rubber stamping class action settlements, the scrutiny of multi-million dollar agreements in 2021 is proof positive that judicial oversight of representative proceedings is robust.
Class action settlement totals skyrocketed to over $900 million last year, and one law firm negotiated the lion’s share, with $672 million in settlements under its belt.
A group of banks that failed to prove steel giant Arrium falsified representations on loan drawdown notices ahead of its $2.8 billion collapse have been ordered to pay indemnity costs after a court found they rejected $10 million settlement offers three days into the trial.
The High Court has granted Google special leave to challenge a $40,000 defamation judgment awarded to gangland lawyer George Defteros, with the search giant arguing it should not be held liable for a “mere hyperlink” to an article.
A judge has dressed down ASIC over the handling of its action against GetSwift, criticising the regulator’s failure to seek a court injunction to prevent the company’s relocation to Canada.
Hospitality giant Merivale has streamlined its defence of a $129 million underpayment class action, arguing that it shouldn’t be expected to back pay employees because it operated its business under the mistaken belief that its enterprise agreement governing staff at 70 of its venues was valid.
A judge has declined a contradictor’s calls to send an application for a common fund order in a class action against 7-Eleven, which recently settled for $98 million, to the Full Court.
A contradictor asked to weigh in on a $98 million settlement in class actions against 7-Eleven has said the Full Federal Court should decide an application by the funder for a common fund order, citing the importance of the issue.
Logistics company GetSwift says it is considering an appeal of an 859-page judgment which lambasted the company and its directors’ “public relations-driven approach” to announcements on the Australian Stock Exchange.