The Murray-Darling Basin Authority will soon make its case directly to an appeals court that it can rely on defences limiting its liability to farmers in a class action alleging negligent oversight of the river system, a question that could have implications for other climate change cases against government agencies.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has slammed an attempt by a class action to “trawl through” its Chief Executive Officer’s emails in search of correspondence regarding it decision to rebate commissions grandfathered by the Future of Financial Advice reforms.
A law firm is investigating a potential class action on behalf of pet owners whose dogs have died or fallen ill after consuming food contaminated with a known toxin.
Reforms by the Morrison government passed earlier this month weakening continuous disclosure obligations will spur corporate defendants to engage in “expensive interlocutory warfare” to shut down class actions right off the bat, and plaintiffs lawyers are waiting to see how the courts interpret the new laws to determine these early strike-out fights.
The CFMEU has abandoned its landmark multi-million dollar class action against labour hire company Workpac following the High Court’s ruling that dashed the hopes of casual workers seeking leave entitlements.
A class action against the executors of the late South Australian pastoralist Thomas Brinkworth has been brought on behalf of landowners whose properties were damaged in a fire in Lucindale last summer.
A $19.6 million legal bill racked up by the law firm behind two 7-Eleven class actions accusing the convenience store chain of misleading franchisees did not warrant the appointment of a contradictor to a hearing seeking approval of a $98 million settlement, a court has heard.
Insurers Lloyds Australia and QBE want class actions by policyholders who were denied business interruption coverage for COVID-related shutdowns stayed until a related test case in the Federal Court is decided.
The applicant in a Federal Court class action against NAB superannuation trustee NULIS has been ordered to find a sample group member in light of a landmark Victoria Supreme Court ruling that found the plaintiff in a similar class action could not establish any loss.
Convenience store giant 7-Eleven has agreed to pay $98 million to settle two class actions accusing it of misleading franchisees, the largest class action settlement reached so far this year.