Christopher Barry

A judge has rejected concerns about client poaching raised by the law firms involved in competing class actions against chemical giant Monsanto.

The Full Federal Court has slammed as “disgraceful” the handling of a class action claim by the family of an Australian national who was killed aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, as the family appeals a decision that blocked them from participating in the settlement of the proceedings.

A judge has declassed one of three class actions against Monsanto over its allegedly cancer-causing weedkiller and chosen the proceedings brought by heavyweight plaintiff-firm Maurice Blackburn to go first, while seeking to appease the competing firm’s fear of being “swallowed” by a larger rival.