The first ever application for a group costs order will be heard in class actions against ANZ and Westpac, and the judge weighing the application has urged the parties to think carefully about the evidence they will submit in support of their bid for a cut of any settlement or judgment.
For two and a half years, law firm Baker McKenzie represented a client in class action litigation over allegedly defective pelvic mesh products that did not exist, a court has heard.
The rejection of a $27 million settlement offer in a class action over American Medical Systems’ pelvic mesh products may be included in a proposed opt out notice, with a judge mulling whether to inform group members about a little used law which allows one lead applicant to take over from another.
Food and beverage manufacturer Freedom Foods and accounting giant Deloitte have been hit with a second class action by irate investors seeking compensation for “accounting errors” that led to a $590 million write-down in November last year.
Murray Goulburn insurer AIG Australia says it should not have to pay 20 per cent of a $42 million class action settlement reached by the dairy cooperative, arguing on Tuesday that the class action claims failed to satisfy the definition of a “securities claim” in its insurance policy.
A royal commission has been established in Victoria to look into whether Crown Melbourne is suitable to hold a casino licence in the state, following a damning report from the NSW gaming authority.
Pharmacy giant Priceline is the target of an “imminent” class action, with a group of dissatisfied franchisees accusing the company of exercising an “overly prescriptive” level of control over its franchises and fettering profitability.
Group members in a class action against Oculus Accounting may not receive a payout after the company’s insurers refused to indemnify it against claims alleging the accounting firm was negligent in prompting an investment in failed music streaming platform Guvera.
A judge has signed off on a settlement in two shareholder class actions against clothing retailer Surfstitch, but has capped the legal costs and commissions sought by the litigation funders after finding the law firms behind the cases sent out notices to group members that were “misleading” and “understated” the risks of joining the class.
A judge has refused to extend the date by which Coles workers can register to join an employment class action against the supermarket giant as part of a class closure order, saying the amendment would force a hearing on his power to make the order.