Class Actions

A judge has rejected arguments that Virgin Australia waived legal professional privilege over advice from Herbert Smith Freehills by claiming in a class action defence that it had a reasonable belief that statements in a prospectus for a $324 million capital raising were not misleading.

An appeals court has questioned General Motors’ construction of its settlement with the applicant in a class action on behalf of Holden dealers, as the car maker seeks to overturn a ruling that put it on the hook for the applicant’s full costs.

McDonald’s has raised concerns about a “skewed” sample of employees for the initial trial in a class action alleging the fast food giant denied shift managers compensation for pre- and post-shift work.

A New Zealand appeals court has ruled that common fund orders can be made in class actions, even at the early stages, departing from the High Court of Australia in finding the commercial viability of a proceeding enhances access to justice. 

Building materials manufacturer 3A Composites has lost a challenge to questions for a judge at an initial trial of a class action over combustible cladding, with a judge finding the issue of whether the company’s Alucobond panels were of acceptable quality was common to all group members. 

Noumi has agreed to pay a $5 million penalty for violating its continuous disclosure obligations in a case brought by the corporate regulator, but the applicant in a shareholder class action against the food company says the sum should be reserved to compensate group members. 

A shareholder class action against BHP has sought more time to finalise its pleadings ahead of trial, after a judge threw out two class actions against the Commonwealth Bank that also alleged continuous disclosure breaches.

The number of new class actions so far this year has fallen short of recent years, and not a single shareholder proceeding has been lodged in 2024 to date, according to a new report.

A judge has rejected a law firm’s attempt to update its bid to run class actions against Hyundai and Kia, saying the changes were intended to net the firm a competitive advantage in an upcoming fight for carriage of the class actions and different in substance from its previous position.

A law firm has secured more funds to cover the cost of distributing a $20 million settlement reached in a class action against telco contractor BSA, but not as much as it wanted, with a judge saying the firm would have been stuck with its initial estimate if the administration gig had been put out to tender.