A solicitor running two franchisee class actions against 7-Eleven “retaliated” against a group member who objected to a $98 million settlement and issued a late $6.5 million legal bill to benefit a litigation funder, a court has heard.
The structural engineer behind Sydney’s Opal Tower has taken builder Icon’s insurers to court, arguing they should cover its costs in a class action brought on behalf of residents of the ill-fated building and related litigation.
Questions raised about the structure of a settlement of two wage class actions against supermarket chain Romeo’s don’t just threaten to reduce the law firm’s costs but could derail the whole agreement, a judge has said.
Star Entertainment Group has been hit with a shareholder class action for allegedly painting itself as the “cleanskin” of the gambling industry despite alleged lax compliance and links to money laundering and organised crime, amid a damning public inquiry by the gambling regulator that has led to the resignation of its CEO.
A $98 million settlement reached in two franchisee class actions against 7-Eleven is “appropriate” given the likelihood that the convenience store giant would have lost at trial, according to a contradictor who urged the court to reject a $25 million cut sought by the funder that backed the litigation.
The plaintiff in a class action against Volkswagen over allegedly deadly Takata airbags has told an appeals court his case was misunderstood by the trial judge, who found he failed to prove that cars fitted with the airbags were not of acceptable quality.
A court has signed off on a $600,000 settlement in a class action brought by former members of cult group ‘The Family’ over historical allegations of abuse and torture, including $400,000 for the law firm that ran the litigation.
Litigation funder Galactic should receive a $15 million commission for its work on two franchisee class actions against convenience store giant 7-Eleven, instead of the $25 million it has asked for, a court has heard.
The Full Federal Court has found that a landmark NSW Court of Appeal decision barring group members from being notified of future class closure orders at settlement was “plainly wrong” and that the court has the power to make the orders.
Despite the Morrison government’s decision to shelve its latest proposed class action reforms before the election, there are plainly competing perspectives between those in government that seek to politicise the class action regime and industry experts — including judges — about the appropriate management of class actions, writes Slater & Gordon’s Claire Pirie.