Six major car companies indicated Tuesday they were open to a quick settlement of class actions brought on behalf of potentially hundreds of thousands of Australian drivers whose cars were fitted with defective and deadly Takata airbags.
Embattled financial giant AMP on Tuesday criticised concerns raised by lawyers for the federal class actions about group members’ opt out rights, saying the concerns were a “red herring” in the fight against an order transferring their cases to the NSW Supreme Court.
AMP has slammed arguments that group members in four Federal Court class actions could face a jurisdictional limitation on their claims of disclosure breaches if their cases are transferred to state court, saying no such disadvantage exists.
The Federal Court offers group members in the shareholder class actions against AMP a major legal advantage over the NSW Supreme Court, lawyers for the federal cases have argued ahead of a hearing in the controversial jurisdictional battle.
The Full Federal Court expressed doubts Tuesday about an “unusual” and “heavy handed” order restraining lawyers leading the stayed class actions against GetSwift from advising their clients about whether to opt out of the prevailing action.
The judge overseeing the GetSwift class action proceedings was bent on picking a winner from the outset and should be removed from the case for rehearing, a barrister for one of the losing law firms told the Full Federal Court Monday.
Former Slater & Gordon auditor Pitcher Partners has been hit with a class action alleging it signed off on an overly rosy 2015 year-end financial report that failed to disclose risks and impairments the firm faced from its recent acquisition of UK firm Quindell.
Law firm Squire Patton Boggs is again on the losing end of a ruling by the judge presiding over a shareholder class action against GetSwift, a case now better known for infighting among lawyers than for the allegations levelled against the tech startup.
The naming of Squire Patton Boggs as a concurrent wrongdoer in GetSwift’s defence puts the law firm in an “impossible position of conflict of interest” if it wins a challenge to an order staying its class action against the company, the Full Federal Court has been told ahead of a highly anticipated appeal hearing that promises to pull no punches.
Applicants in four Federal Court class actions against AMP won’t voluntarily move their cases to the NSW Supreme Court on the invitation of a state judge, leaving a jurisdictional battle to rage on.