Victoria

Two class actions against Victorian aged care providers on behalf of families of residents who died due to alleged failures during the COVID-19 pandemic have appealed a ruling that rejected their bid for insurance and financial information to assist in mediation.

A judge has approved a $5 million settlement in a false imprisonment class action against the state of Victoria on behalf of residents of nine public housing towers over COVID-19 lockdowns, despite noting it “falls towards the lower end of the spectrum”.

Two courts have ruled that in competing class actions against Hyundai and Kia over allegedly faulty anti-lock braking systems, a plaintiff’s bid to transfer one of the cases from Victoria to the Federal Court should precede a carriage fight, deeming it the “straightforward” option. 

The state of Victoria is making a bid to suppress its defence in a class action brought over the 2020 hotel quarantine fiasco, as it faces a “substantially altered” indictment in a related criminal proceeding.

A judge has directed a class action on behalf of 1,000 patients of Sydney-based plastic surgeon Daniel Lanzer and four of his associates to have another go at articulating claims that Lanzer’s clinic should be liable for allegedly ‘horrific’ complications. 

A shareholder class action has been filed against medical glove manufacturer Ansell Limited following an earnings guidance downgrade blamed on COVID-19.

A judge overseeing a class action against Suncorp subsidiary AAI has questioned whether the “uncertain” plan B of a law firm seeking a 25 per cent group costs order was artificially uncertain to increase the relative appeal of its contingency fee bid.

The possibility that a NSW judge will revoke a contingency fee order made in a class action over Arrium’s collapse is irrelevant to whether the proceedings should be transferred from Victoria to the appropriate forum, Arrium’s auditor KPMG has told a court.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has vowed to limit the role of local councils in planning decisions after the state’s anti-corruption board delivered a scathing report finding property developer John Woodman “bought influence” from councillors in Melbourne and two state MP’s.

The ACCC has raised concerns about Coles plans to acquire milk processing plants from Saputo, with the regulator saying the transaction — marking the first time a supermarket chain has ventured into the processing market — would be a “major structural change”.