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Class action firms that play nice should not have a leg up in beauty parade, court told
Appellate guidance is needed on whether a history of cooperation between law firms that brought competing class actions can be the deciding factor in a close carriage contest, the Victorian Court of Appeal has heard.
High Court judge warns against ‘unseemly competition’ between courts
A recently appointed High Court judge has warned against state and federal courts competing to attract cases, expressing concerns the appearance of impartiality could be compromised if courts sought to “drum up business at the expense of defendants”. 
Class closure ‘deadlock’ may be headed to High Court, expert says
Courts have taken differing views on whether they should order class closure, which requires group members to register for a class action, and the "deadlock" may require High Court intervention or legislative amendment to be resolved, an expert has said.
Insurer not on hook for scrapped NSW music festival during Black Summer bushfires
Insurer Lloyd’s in not on the hook for losses arising from a cancelled 2019 music festival, with a judge finding the Black Summer bushfires did not render cancellation necessary as was required for coverage under the relevant insurance policy.
AMP class action judge says court should be ‘cautious’ in class closure fights
AMP has lost its bid for soft class closure in a class action over allegedly excessive superannuation fees, with a judge finding the court should exercise “real caution” when class closure is opposed by the applicant. 
$230M junior doctors settlement shows employment class actions ‘viable and attractive’, experts say
A landmark $230 million settlement in an underpayments class action on behalf of junior doctors in NSW shows employment group proceedings are “viable and attractive” and may encourage more players to pursue representative cases on behalf of workers, according to class action experts.
NSW Health to pay $230M to settle junior doctors class action
Tens of thousands of junior doctors who allege they were systemically underpaid have reached a $230 million settlement with NSW Health, the largest settlement ever in an underpayments class action.
FWC showed no bias in Mantle Group case despite ‘harsh’ remark, says Full Court
A subsidiary of hospitality giant Mantle Group has failed to set aside a Fair Work Commission decision finding it systematically underpaid employees and gave “knowingly false” evidence, with an appeals court refusing to find the decision gave rise to the appearance of bias.
Class action pioneer from Maurice Blackburn will ‘strive for fair’ as new judge
As the head of Maurice Blackburn's class actions group he helped win hundreds of millions of dollars for claimants and shaped the jurisprudence around the practice. As the Victorian Supreme Court's newest judge, Andrew Watson has promised to keep up the fight for fair.
Not ‘plainly wrong’: NSW appeals court sticks to guns on class closure
The NSW Court of Appeal has said it has no power to exclude group members who do not sign up to a class action from participating in a settlement, upholding a controversial decision that the Full Federal Court said was “plainly wrong”.