Despite a judge’s complaint that class action costs are generally “out of control”, the law firm that secured a $192.5 million settlement and earned about $25 million in fees in the Montara oil spill case has won approval for more fees — these ones incurred in a hearing to determine how the settlement spoils should be divided.
A former Holden dealer has won the right to see General Motors corporate strategy documents in the five years leading up to Holden’s retirement, in his suit claiming the carmaker’s executives misled him when saying GM was “100% committed” to the line before axing it just a few years later.
The developer of healthcare directory app Whitecoat must pay health insurer and joint venture partner NIB $1.6 million for loans that were never repaid following the app’s sale to the Commonwealth Bank for $42.5 million in 2021.
A judge overseeing a $192.5 million settlement in an oil spill class action against PTTEP Australia on behalf of Indonesian seaweed farmers has balked at the “very large” costs sought by Maurice Blackburn for administering the deal, expressing concerns that class action costs are “getting out of control”.
A judge overseeing a superannuation class action against two Westpac units that settled for $30 million has flagged the possibility of appointing a contradictor to examine the litigation funder’s claimed cut of the settlement, which includes a deduction of over $1 million to cover the costs of after-the-event insurance.
The High Court has agreed to hear the appeals of two former Dick Smith exes following judgments that awarded a total of $55 million in damages to NAB and the receivers of the defunct electronics retailer.
A judge overseeing a superannuation class action against two Westpac units that settled for $30 million has expressed concerns about the ATO’s potential involvement in distributing settlement funds, saying the department was unlikely to efficiently reunite group members with their money.
The law firm that ran a class action over the 2009 Montara oil spill must compete to administer a $192.5 million settlement, with a judge saying a tendering process is consistent with the court’s “protective and supervisory role” in managing costs deducted from class action settlements.
A judge has approved a confidential settlement in a class action against KPMG and nine former Gunns Plantations directors over the failure of six managed investment schemes for eucalyptus wood in Tasmania.
A judge has largely approved the funder’s commission and legal fees to be deducted from a $192.5 million settlement of a class action against oil company PTTEP, despite the costs halving the amount to go to group members.