After almost five years before the courts, a judge has approved an approximately $120 million settlement of five class actions against Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal, including a “very substantial” $43 million in fees and disbursements for one of the plaintiffs firms.
The prospect of returning to the office may be increasing levels of anxiety among some lawyers, who work in a profession rife with mental health issues that have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an industry mental health manager.
A judge has found that the law firm behind a plethora of pelvic mesh lawsuits filed in multiple courts should be personally hit with costs for its “keystone cop-like conduct” in handling the proceedings, but has given the firm a week to convince him otherwise.
Seven car makers defending class actions over defective Takata airbags have confirmed they will not be challenging a landmark decision that set aside a pre-settlement class closure order in the cases.
The ACCC has come up short in its appeal of a ruling that dismissed its challenge to Pacific National $205 million acquisition of Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge Terminal in Queensland, with the Full Federal Court also releasing Pacific National from an undertaking given to the court.
A closely watched shareholder class action against Myer over an inflated profit forecast from former CEO Bernie Brookes has been dropped, after a court found the retail giant misled shareholders but that they suffered no harm.
A court has substantially dismissed an application for further discovery by three companies facing a lawsuit by chemical and energy giant Hanwha Solutions for patent infringement of its solar cell technology.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission maintains its $75 million settlement agreement with Volkswagen over the emissions cheating scandal was “appropriate”, as VW progresses its appeal of the $125 million penalty imposed by a judge who called the ACCC agreement “manifestly inadequate”.
The top judge of the Federal Court plans to clear the schedules of three judges at the start of next year so they can hear and decide Johnson & Johnson’s challenge of a class action ruling that found its pelvic mesh devices were defective and awarded the lead applicants $2.6 million in damages.
The COVID-19 pandemic and government social distancing restrictions were reasons to be flexible in applying and adapting the law, the judge overseeing the administration of Virgin Australia has said in exempting administrators from liability for unpaid leases and allowing Thursday’s meeting of the airlines’ creditors to be held by teleconference.