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Common fund orders made in increasing class action market
The Federal Court’s, albeit not total, approval of common fund orders, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the likely approval of contingency fees in Victoria mean that, more than ever, litigation funders and plaintiff law firms will be on the lookout for class actions, says Alex Haslam of Gilchrist Connell.
J&J won’t ask judge to recuse himself from pelvic mesh appeal
Medical device giant Johnson & Johnson has confirmed it will not seek the recusal of a Federal Court judge from a panel overseeing its pelvic mesh class action appeal, despite earlier raising concerns that he had seen privileged settlement communications.
COVID-19 sees Virgin administrators absolved of liability on unprecedented scale
The administrators of Virgin Australia have been absolved of personal liability for the ongoing operation of the embattled airline on an unprecedented scale, with Australia’s airline duopoly and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic justifying the “extraordinarily wide” orders.
Essential Energy fights to block discovery for potential Tathra bushfire class action
Power distributor Essential Energy has appealed a judgment granting preliminary discovery to landowners to pursue a potential class action over the 2018 Tathra bushfire.
Herbert Smith Freehills lures financial services partner from Norton Rose
Herbert Smith Freehills has bolstered the ranks of its global financial services team with the recruitment of former Norton Rose Fulbright partner Charlotte Henry.
On The Run hit with underpayments class action
Petrol station convenience store chain On The Run has been hit with a class action alleging it owes more than 8,000 current and former underpaid employees up to $70 million in lost wages.
Ben Roberts-Smith says vindication only possible in open court
War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith  has told a judge hearing defamation proceedings against several media companies over articles accusing him of war crimes that he can only be vindicated if he is allowed to give evidence in open court, as the Federal Government seeks to impose restrictions on the case due to national security concerns.
Disgruntled students hit Box Hill Institute with class action over aviation course
Vocational education provider Box Hill Institute is facing a class action brought by disgruntled students who allege the licences they obtained through the institute did not provide them with the requisite knowledge or training to obtain a commercial pilots licence.
In a first, judge says High Court dealt CFOs a total knockout
A judge has found that the High Court's landmark ruling last year blocking common fund orders in the early stages of a class action also barred them from being made at the conclusion of a proceeding, departing from several recent rulings on common fund orders.
Settlement in Ralan class actions to be kept under wraps amid threat of more lawsuits
The settlement sum in three class actions against law firms that allegedly gave negligent advice about property investments in the now-defunct Ralan Group has been suppressed, after the court heard there was a risk of future claims being brought.