Fresh off the back of a $212.5 million settlement in three class actions over the Defence Department’s use of fire-fighting foam, Shine Laywers has launched another class action over the toxic chemical on behalf of 40,000 residents across Australia.
A Federal Court judge has praised an attempt by Shine Lawyer’s head of litigation to create an audio-visual opt out notice for its insurance class action against Westpac, but jokingly remarked that her performance would not win her any acting plaudits.
A leading barrister has been appointed by the NSW premier to head an inquiry to investigate the docking and disembarking of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, now linked to 18 COVID-19 related deaths.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced Australian courtrooms into the virtual world, with many barristers and solicitors litigating via phone or video for the first time. Here, some of Australia’s top barristers offer tips on how to bring your A game into the virtual realm.
The applicant in a $47.6 million class action against a unit of car leasing company McMillan Shakespeare has been denied access to insurance documents sought to determine the value of the case, with a judge saying access would “distort the playing field”.
Kraft has lost an appeal in its high-stakes legal battle against Bega over the right to use its distinctive peanut butter trade dress in Australia.
Arguing that the court should not be “baulking at problems that have the potential to occur”, counsel for a class action against Ford is pushing back against a bid by the car maker to put the brakes on an upcoming virtual trial the company says will be too difficult and costly.
A judge has refused to delay a civil penalty hearing brought by ASIC against GetSwift, scheduled to begin in June, after the logistics company argued that the virtual hearing necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic would be prejudicial and the proceedings should be adjourned.
Lamenting that he now has less flexibility to manage commission rates, a judge has called for legislative intervention to give courts authority to regulate funding arrangements at the outset of class actions, a power stripped from them by the High Court late last year.
While law firms and barristers are bracing for work slowdowns due to the coronavirus, litigation funders told Lawyerly it’s business as usual for them.