Judges

The NSW Supreme Court has approved a $44.25 million settlement of two class actions against the trustees of failed debenture issuer Provident Capital, including $12.8 million in legal fees for Slater and Gordon and $4.3 million for funder Litman Holdings.

Liquidators for the collapsed Hastie Group will pursue test cases against two construction companies in their legal fight against more than two dozen major builders over tens of millions of dollars in unpaid bills, but an application is looming to halt the proceedings pending the outcome of a High Court challenge.

A NSW Supreme Court judge said Monday it will refer to the Court of Appeal a challenge by car giant BMW to a common fund order proposed by law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan for its six class actions over Takata airbags.

Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush has told a court he endured "the worst 11 months" of his life following the publication of two Daily Telegraph articles that accused him of inappropriate behaviour toward his co-star during a 2015 production of King Lear.

Class action funding arrangements that siphon off large percentages for commissions and legal fees are "unsustainable", Federal Court Justice Michael Lee said Monday.

Bannister Law has withdrawn from a class action it filed against Ford over allegedly defective Powershift transmissions following a dispute between the firm and the litigation funder that's backing the case.

Cash Converters has reached a settlement on the eve of trial in one of two consumer class actions alleging it engaged in unconscionable conduct by imposing high interest rates on short-term loans.

Domino's Pizza and Precision Tracking have reached a settlement on the eve of trial in a hard-fought battle by the US pizza giant to invalidate two of the Australian tech startup's patents covering a GPS system that helps customers locate delivery drivers in real-time.

The managing director of litigation funder Vannin Capital lost a battle to dismiss a cross claim brought against him by rival LCM in a case alleging LCM has misapplied funds in its trust.

The litigation funder at the centre of a challenge by Westpac to the Federal Court's power to make common fund orders faced a fiery judge in a tense exchange Friday, after it revealed it was weighing a bid to pause a class action against the bank until after the appeal.