Ian Pike

Car giant Ford will face a claim of unconsionable conduct in a trial of a class action over its defective PowerShift transmission that is now scheduled to run twice as long as originally thought, but claims on behalf of second-hand Ford vehicle owners are out.

And then there were four. Plaintiffs law firm Slater & Gordon wants to consolidate its AMP shareholder class action with Maurice Blackburn’s case and hand over the reins to its rival, a deal signed the day the Full Federal Court affirmed the power of judges to shut down competing class actions.