A judge has refused a bid by four major insurers to obtain the names of small businesses that register to join COVID-19 business interruption class actions, saying he did not want the companies contacting group members.
Westpac has been hit with a class action for allegedly overcharging superannuation customers for insurance coverage, months after paying $30 million to settle a separate superannuation class action.
The judge overseeing a slow moving class action against four AMP subsidiaries and two trustees over alleged excessive superannuation fees has expressed his frustration with delays in the case, fixing the case for trial over the wealth manager’s protest.
Slater and Gordon’s chief client officer will take the reins as boss following the retirement of John Somerville, the executive brought in from KPMG five years ago to remake the plaintiffs law firm.
A former top judge appointed to decide the first-ever contest to administer a class action settlement has set out his criteria for making the choice, and has warned that giving the firm running a case a monopoly right to dole out the proceeds could lead to higher costs for group members and poorer settlement outcomes.
The judge who rewarded the law firm with the lowest ever GCO proposal with carriage of an $80 million class action this week noted the competitive forces that shaped a “very good deal for group members,” but competition has its downsides, experts say.
The winning, 14 per cent contingency fee proposal by Slater & Gordon in a fight to run a class action against Star Entertainment was not driven by a desire to prevail in the contest and buy market share but was the product of a “reasoned decision” that took into account the law firm’s practice as a whole, a judge has found.
Sydney-based plastic surgeon Daniel Lanzer, who is facing a class action by 1,000 former patients, has been hit with a new lawsuit alleging he performed a negligent liposuction and fat transfer procedure, which left a woman with disfigurement, necrosis and nerve damage.
One law firm has emerged victorious in a four-way contest to run a shareholder class action against Star Entertainment with the lowest proposed group costs order since contingency fees legislation was enacted in Victoria.
Victims of privacy breaches must demonstrate actual loss and damage to be eligible for compensation, according to a judge who has given asylum seekers who secured a ruling from the Privacy Commissioner a second chance at proving loss from the public disclosure of their personal information.