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GCO gives AAI class action members ‘simplicity, transparency’: judge
Class Actions 2023-08-09 3:03 pm By Sam Matthews

A judge has signed off on a 25 per cent group costs order in a class action against Suncorp subsidiary AAI, after accepting that the back-up plan of law firm Maurice Blackburn was not artificially uncertain.

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Judge asks if class action firm’s uncertain GCO back-up plan ‘artificial’
Class Actions 2023-08-04 3:40 pm By Cindy Cameronne

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.

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Judge orders ‘soft’ class closure in flex commissions class actions
Catherine Hamilton-Jewell 2023-07-21 10:53 pm By Cindy Cameronne

Westpac, Macquarie and ANZ have won soft class closure orders ahead of mediation in three class actions over flexible commissions schemes after a judge found they will improve the chances of settlement.  In a judgment handed down on Thursday, Victoria Supreme Court Justice Lisa Nichols ordered that group members have to formally register in the…

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‘Completely at sea’: Banks push for class closure in flex commissions cases
ANZ 2023-06-02 10:33 pm By Sam Matthews

Westpac, Macquarie and ANZ are seeking class closure orders ahead of mediation in three class actions over flexible commissions schemes, telling a court hearing they will be “completely at sea” without a better idea of the class size.

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Firm’s contingency fee re-do wins over judge in class actions against banks
ANZ 2023-03-03 5:50 pm By Cindy Cameronne

A law firm has won its second bid for a group costs order in three class actions against banks over flexible commission schemes after a judge in 2021 rejected what was then the first-ever application for a contingency fee.

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Law firm shaves 0.5% off payout in second go at class action contingency fee
ANZ 2023-02-23 5:11 pm By Cindy Cameronne

Maurice Blackburn has had a second crack at a group costs order in three class actions against banks over alleged flexible commission schemes after a judge in 2021 rejected what was then the first-ever application for a contingency fee.

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Class action members benefit when funder’s payout in line with risk, judge says
Accounting 2023-01-13 10:37 pm By Christine Caulfield

In reasons for approving a $41 million deal to settle one of three shareholder class actions over Slater & Gordon’s acquisition of a UK firm and awarding the funder 28 per cent, a judge has challenged a persistent notion that the interests of litigation funders and group members are at odds.

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Rejected costs report in Woolworths class action got proportionality wrong, judge says
Bernard Quinn 2023-01-10 11:02 pm By Sam Matthews

A costs report in a settled class action against Woolworths that recommended almost $800,000 in legal fee deductions failed to wrestle with a key factor in weighing the proportionality of the costs, a judge has said.

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Top 10 class action settlements of 2022
Adam Hochroth 2023-01-06 3:23 pm By Sam Matthews

Class action settlement sums reached new highs last year, with the ten largest agreements totalling almost $1 billion, almost half of which was secured by one plaintiff law firm.

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Court approves GCO in ‘junk’ insurance class action against Allianz
Allianz 2022-12-13 1:25 pm By Sam Matthews

A judge has signed off on a group costs order in class action against Allianz over add-on car insurance that will give plaintiff law firms Johnson Winter & Slattery and Maurice Blackburn no more than 25 per cent of any resolution in the case.

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