The settlement arrangement resolving five class actions against Volkswagen, which carved out hefty legal fees from the $120 million payout to drivers, could become more prevalent as the spotlight is once again trained on the cost of class actions. But the approach is not without controversy, experts say.
A proposed notice to eligible group members in Maurice Blackburn’s class action against AMP over its fees for no services scandal threatened to bar unregistered shareholders from any settlement stemming from mediation in the case, a threat barred by a recent ruling finding that courts have no power to close class actions to signed up group members, an appeals court has heard.
Eight months after defeating a case brought by the prudential regulator alleging breaches of superannuation laws, wealth manager IOOF has escaped a class action without paying a cent to shareholders.
The ACCC has lost its bid to stay a cartel appeal by Indonesian airline PT Garuda, with a judge finding the competition watchdog had not shown the airline acted in contempt of court by failing to pay a $19 million fine.
Two leading independent supermarket groups are the latest retail giants to face possible class actions for alleged wage underpayments, in the wake of class actions lobbed against Woolworths and Coles.
A judge has granted Qantas an injunction temporarily blocking the Fair Work Commission from hearing a case brought by the union for the airline’s stood-down aircraft maintenance engineers, saying the issues raised in the case had potentially wide ramifications for all Australian businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A court has granted a request from Grosvenor Litigation Services, the funder that backed two class actions against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal, to suppress the details of a co-funding agreement with Vannin Capital.
Nine-owned Fairfax Media has been hit with a defamation lawsuit by Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Trade & Commerce, who claims the Australian Financial Review engaged in a “smear campaign” by publishing an article accusing him of corruption, bribery and money laundering.
Westpac has admitted to millions of breaches of anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws, and has told a court it did not adequately monitor transactions of customers linked to child exploitation.
Supermarket giant Coles has been hit with a class action after revealing in February that it owes staff in its supermarket and liquor businesses at least $20 million in pay.