Despite a judge’s complaint that class action costs are generally “out of control”, the law firm that secured a $192.5 million settlement and earned about $25 million in fees in the Montara oil spill case has won approval for more fees — these ones incurred in a hearing to determine how the settlement spoils should be divided.
Uber and the applicants in class actions against the car service will head into mediation later this year, and only group members who sign up to join the cases will get a chance to share in the proceeds of any settlement that results from the talks.
Piper Alderman has strengthened its real estate team, appointing a former Holding Redlich partner to its Brisbane office.
A court has set aside former Federal Minister for Resources Keith Pitt’s decision to develop a nuclear waste facility in Napandee in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, saying a fair-minded observer may have perceived that Pitt was biased in selecting the site over two other proposed locations.
A judge has ruled insurer Vero can be added to a class action over allegedly combustible cladding, finding removal of the cladding could be considered “property damage” under the wording of an insurance contract with cladding manufacturer Fairview.
A senior public servant behind the Robodebt fiasco is one of the first heads to roll following the findings of a royal commission into the illegal debt recovery scheme devised by the previous federal government to claw back welfare overpayments.
Norton Rose Fulbright has snagged a class action lawyer with decades of US legal experience and elevated an arbitration expert who worked at a New York white shoe law firm to be partners in its Sydney and Perth offices.
Ferroglobe has claimed a Queensland technology company used its confidential information in new patent applications, as the global specialty metals producer races to protect its IP before the applications are published.
A judge’s decision that the thumbs-up emoji on a contract constitutes a valid signature is the latest court ruling to find that emojis can amount to acceptance of an offer, and serves as a warning about the downsides of the smiley face and its offspring, experts say.
Senior EY partners have condemned PwC and attempted to distance the firm from the scandal that has rocked the industry, but its cleanskin claims were met with scepticism by senators, who questioned the failure to provide EY’s partnership deed and remuneration details.