Quinn Emanuel

A judge has approved a bid to consolidate two shareholder class actions against Medibank over a cyberattack that affected 10 million customers, finding that having two firms on the record is better than a carriage contest.

A class action against Volkswagen over allegedly deadly Takata airbags has failed a second time after an appeals court found “a merely speculative” risk of rupture was not enough to find the vehicles unacceptable.

The field of competitors in a four-way contest to run a shareholder class action against Downer EDI over a $40 million profit overstatement has narrowed with the consolidation of three cases, leaving one firm to face criticism over its comparative inexperience running group proceedings. 

A $26 million settlement has been reached in a class action against Ardent Leisure alleging it misled shareholders about safety measures that were in place ahead of the 2016 tragedy at its Dreamworld theme park in Queensland which claimed four lives.

In its bid for a 30 per cent group costs order, the applicant in a class action against Insurance Australia Group says the percentage shouldn’t be compared to lower proposed rates -- as low as 14 per cent -- in a battle to run a class action against Star.

The state of Victoria is making a bid to suppress its defence in a class action brought over the 2020 hotel quarantine fiasco, as it faces a “substantially altered” indictment in a related criminal proceeding.

The Federal Court has granted a bid by plaintiffs in competing class actions against Downer EDI to transfer their cases to the Victoria Supreme Court, where a four-way contest will take place.

The applicants in competing class actions against Downer EDI have set out their proposals for the courts overseeing the cases, with two calling for orders staying the proceedings of their rivals, and another seeking consolidation.

A judge overseeing a shareholder class action against Insurance Australia Group says more evidence is needed to back the applicant’s bid for an order giving lawyers 30 per cent of any recoveries.

The NSW government and the former developer of a stalled $2 billion Central Barangaroo development project are headed for a discovery showdown in their $270 million stoush, with both sides fighting to protect what they say are privileged communications.