A powerful US business lobbying group should not be allowed to influence Australian politicians as they consider reforms to the country’s class action regime, two leading plaintiffs firms have said. But a lawyer for the group said singling it out was hypocritical given how many overseas litigation funders have hired firms to represent their interests in the current class action debate.
ANZ has denied claims that it sold allegedly worthless insurance to group members in a class action against the banking giant, and has said the policies gave customers “peace of mind”.
A judge has been accused of “very aggressively” raising issues with a barrister for the Federal Government over its failure to amend its defence in a $300 million class action centred on the Commonwealth’s controversial Robodebt scheme to match recent public admissions.
Judges should be given the power to make class closure orders again, defence law firms have told the latest class action inquiry, which comes on the heels of a landmark appeals court ruling that there is no statutory authority to keep unregistered class members out of a group proceeding.
Tens of thousands of Ford cars which contain an allegedly defective transmission system are “lemons”, a court heard on day one of a six-week hearing in a long-running class action against the car maker.
Much of the criticism of the ligitaion funding industry being played out in the media recently is based on misinformation, says Andrew Saker of Omni Bridgeway.
The class action system is working well, and reform that limits access to the regime should be carefully considered, the latest government inquiry has been told by a chorus of experts, including lawyers, academics and Australia’s competition cop. Still, some defence firms say recent moves cracking down on class actions don’t go far enough.
A class action brought against three medical device manufacturers and a disgraced former doctor on behalf of thousands of women who claim to have suffered lifelong complications from pelvic mesh implants is seeking to add the doctor’s medical insurance company to the proceedings.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has become the latest Big Four bank to be hit with a class action over the sales of allegedly worthless insurance products.
Domino’s is seeking to strike out portions of the “rolled up, confusing pleading” in a class action over alleged worker underpayments, saying the case cannot be brought under the consumer law.