A judge overseeing a class action against National Australia Bank over ‘junk insurance’ has ordered that potential group members be given information about cancelling the policies, but not before taking the applicants to task for not having the polices automatically cancelled as part of the $49.5 million settlement.
The COVID-19 pandemic has opened the door to a host of potential class actions involving claims of government negligence, employment law, product liability and consumer law, one legal expert has said.
The association for practicing barristers in NSW has called for a financial support package for its members as courts restrict in-person hearings to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
As the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise and more people work from home, lawyers are predicting a jump in workers’ compensation claims, with 57 claims or notifications already lodged in NSW.
A judge has criticised as “meretricious” and “ridiculous” opposition by Commonwealth Bank of Australia to a discovery application by a former general manager who claims he lost his job for blowing the whistle on alleged manipulation of staff bonuses.
With new lockdown measures being rolled out on a daily basis to combat COVID-19, vast numbers of Australians have found themselves working from home, many for the first time. As employers and staff scramble to set up makeshift home offices and navigate the world of video conferencing, lawyers are reminding their clients not to forget the legal risks that come with remote working.
The Federal Court is pushing ahead with an expedited trial in Icon Co’s case against Liberty Mutual Insurance and QBE over the Opal Tower disaster, just one month after originally scheduled, and it’s going online to do it.
A judge has ordered ASIC to wait 48 hours after making any decision to send a warning notice to investment conglomerate Mayfair 101 before publicly issuing the notice, despite the regulator’s call for urgent action amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
After almost five years of litigation, a Federal Court judge said he will approve a $127.1 million settlement of five class actions against Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal, but appeared unwilling to sign off on a 25 per cent uplift in fees sought by one of the plaintiffs firms.
After insisting that employees remain working in the office despite tough government restrictions to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, HWL Ebsworth has changed its tune, saying any lawyer wishing to work remotely could now do so, and would be paid as usual.