A decision this week rejecting a proposed common fund order at the settlement approval stage of a class action against teleco Vocus has dashed the hopes of litigation funders that a recent High Court ruling would not foreclose on judges using discretion at the end of a case and will cement a return to bookbuilding and a focus on shareholder class actions by institutional investors.
Responding to a judge’s criticism that he had been “fobbed off” about how many PFAS class actions it expected to file, Shine Lawyers has said it has no current plans to bring more cases against the Department of Defence over the toxic foam.
The Queensland government is seeking court orders that put dam operators Seqwater and Sunwater on the hook for the vast majority of damages after a class action judgment found negligence in the lead up to the state’s 2011 floods that destroyed 2,000 homes.
The administrators of Virgin Australia will not have to pay the troubled carrierās aircraft and other lease payments, after a court granted them a temporary exemption from liability.
A hearing to determine damages in the Queensland floods class action will proceed next week despite an appeal brought by the two dam operators that were found liable for the 2011 floods in the state that destroyed 2,000 homes.
As the COVID-19 crisis leaves tens of thousands unemployed and charities struggling, law firms are responding by offering assistance to those in need through expanded pro bono work and community outreach programs that provide assistance to the country’s most vulnerable people.
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.
Noting the challenge of searching for documentary evidence while employees are working from home, a judge overseeing two consumer class actions against ANZ and Westpac has directed the banks to hand over only a limited number of documents to the applicants, and given them extra time to do it.
While these unprecedented and challenging times are placing profound pressure on the operations and financial position of businesses, itās important to remember that companies are not exempt from complying with the competition and consumer laws. King & Wood Mallesons’ Peta Stevenson, Caroline Coop, Lisa Huett and Simon Cook give companies a guide to navigating unexpected challenges when dealing with competitors, consumers and other parties during the COVID-19 health crisis.
A judge overseeing a class action against National Australia Bank over ājunk insuranceā has ordered that potential group members be given information about cancelling the policies, but not before taking the applicants to task for not having the polices automatically cancelled as part of the $49.5 million settlement.