Three years on from their debut, group costs orders — which entitle law firms to a percentage of any recovery in class actions — have raised a host of novel issues that are keeping lawyers and the court busy.
A judge overseeing a class action accusing Virgin Australia of failing to disclose its true financial position in a $324 million capital raising prospectus has joined a dozen insurers to the proceeding, which he said had “regrettably languished”.
Wealth manager Colonial First State Investments has agreed to pay $100 million to resolve a consumer class action alleging it charged excessive fees on superannuation accounts, in one of the biggest class action settlements of the year so far.
A court has approved a $26 million settlement in the long-running class action against cruise operator Scenic Tours, with $7 million earmarked for litigation funder Legal Justice.
A Sydney law firm running group proceedings against Hyundai and Kia over allegedly faulty anti-lock braking systems has joined forces with a NY-based class action firm that achieved a settlement worth up to $955 million against the car manufacturers in the US.
A court has found that residents living near an allegedly loud and foul-smelling Graincorp oilseed factory in rural Victoria can band together to bring a class action suit.
Discount retail chain The Reject Shop has hit back at an underpayments class action, claiming store managers were not entitled to overtime and that their claims cannot be run as a class action.
Online trading platform IG Markets is facing more scrutiny over its marketing of risky financial products, with a third law firm investigating a class action for everyday investors who have lost money.
The Full Court has rejected class action claims that the age pension discriminates against Indigenous Australians because of differences in life expectancy.
A former accounts and office manager has resolved her case against class action firm Bannister Law alleging she was required to work while on leave and was fired after complaining about bullying.