There is no reason to believe that in the absence of procedural or legislative reform, class actions will not continue to be unduly protracted and prohibitively expensive. Here are 10 reform proposals to better facilitate access to justice, writes barrister and UNSW adjunct professor of law, Dr Peter Cashman.
BHP and Rio Tinto have told a court that the claims of thousands of women who allegedly experienced workplace sexual harassment and discrimination should not be brought as class actions.
A judge has allowed a novel negligence claim in a class action over the NSW Liberal Party’s failure to lodge paperwork for local candidates, saying a High Court ruling that rejected a duty of care to protect against economic loss did not doom the claim.
Melbourne Water has been hit with a class action by residents of the Rivervue Retirement Village who claim damages from the flooding of the Maribyrnong River three years ago.
Tesla has denied a class action’s claims that it misled consumers about the capabilities of its self-driving cars, saying drivers were reminded about feature limitations and warned to be “fully attentive” while operating the cars.
Class action lawyers are expecting to see an increase in consumer and privacy cases this year, as well as a reinvigoration of shareholder litigation following a string of prominent losses, and many are counting on the High Court to clarify legal questions hanging over plaintiffs.
Deloitte has warned that publishing evidence filed in support of its successful bid for an increase in settlement administration costs in a stolen wages class action could have a “chilling effect”.
A class action brought by Sydney Trains’ operations staff alleging they were overworked and underpaid has settled for between $6 and $7.6 million.
A judge has ordered the discontinuance of a class action challenging the detention of South Sudanese refugees in Australian detention centres, following a High Court decision that affected its prospects of success.
NAB has sued a group of insurers alleging they are liable to indemnify the bank for a $64.25 million settlement and associated defence costs in a superannuation class action against units MLC and NULIS Nominees.