Class Actions

Blue Sky’s founder and former managing director Mark Sowerby has won orders requiring a director of US hedge fund Glaucus to produce documents relating to claims the short-seller shared information with market participants before releasing a report which sent Blue Sky’s shares into a tailspin.

Group members in a class action against Nine over its coverage of litigation related to the 2004 Palm Island riots will receive between $2,000 to $5,200 as part of a settlement reached to resolve the case.

An Australian court will get a chance to weigh in on whether Apple and Google violated their dominant position in the app marketplace by requiring developers to use their payment systems or face a 30 per cent fee, when trial kicks off Monday in Fortnite game maker Epic Games’ case and two related class actions against the tech giants.

A shareholder class action against livestock exporter Wellard is seeking approval for a $23 million settlement which will see only $7.86 million go to group members, telling the court that the funder and law firm that ran the case have agreed to take a haircut on the deductions they’re entitled to.

The Australian Football League has asked a court to stay an individual lawsuit brought by a “totally incapacitated” former Western Bulldogs player until a related class action on behalf of players who allegedly suffered brain injuries is decided.

A judge is planning to consolidate an employee class action and a union case against McDonald’s, saying the union can take a payout from any settlement, similar to how a funder receives a commission. 

The High Court has handed a win to a class action on behalf of Queensland ratepayers who were wrongly charged levies over a period of six years, rejecting the local council’s argument that the levies were put to good use.

A carriage fight may be avoided in a class action against Sydney broker International Capital Markets over risky contracts for difference after two law firms agreed to consolidate their cases.

Defunct investment firm Blue Sky has denied a class action’s claims that it misled shareholders ahead of its 2019 collapse and has pointed the finger at auditor EY.

The New South Wales government has been hit with a class action alleging it discriminated against Indigenous communities on the south coast by prosecuting them for engaging in cultural fishing practices.