A date has been set in Domino’s bid to strike out parts of the statement of claim in a class action alleging franchisees underpaid thousands of workers across Australia for five years.
Crown Resorts has successfully challenged a ruling allowing law firm Maurice Blackburn to communicate with 18 formerly jailed employees to gather evidence in its shareholder class action against the casino giant.
A court has found Australia Post breached the employment contract of a compensation manager dismissed after “likely” threats by the CEPU resulted in the cancellation of a project targeting thousands of injured postal workers.
Companies and other defendants forked over big sums last year to settle more than 20 class actions, with a total of at least $734 million being paid out. Here are the top 10 class action settlements and the law firms and funders that negotiated them.
The Federal Court has imposed a higher-end penalty of $270,000 on the CFMEU and three officers for site obstruction, saying the union has “significant resources” and has demonstrated a “willingness to contravene industrial laws in a serious way”.
Pizza chain Domino’s has been blasted for redactions in documents it has produced in a class action over worker pay, with a judge warning the franchisor that it could not act as “judge and jury” in deciding what information could be given to the applicant.
The Federal Court has rejected an “unusual” confidentiality regime proposed by Domino’s Pizza Enterprises which would have resulted in restricted access to discovered documents for the funder backing the class action against the global fast food giant.
A failed challenge by baby food maker Bellamy’s Australia to a decision rejecting its application to limit legal costs in two class actions was “not strong”, but was not so unreasonable as to put them on the hook for indemnity costs, the Full Federal Court has ruled.
Crown Resorts has been given the greenlight to challenge a court order allowing former employees to talk to lawyers for a class action over its business in China, but the class has another chance to make its case that the ruling should stand.
Concerns about duplicative costs in multiple class actions are better addressed by case management decisions aimed at cutting excessive expense, not by limiting the amount lawyers representing group members can spend, the Full Federal Court has said in dismissing an appeal by baby food maker Bellamy’s.