The former senior counsel in a settled insurance class action against Westpac has had his fees reduced by $70,000 after the Federal Court heard some of the work for which he charged was not done in the interests of group members.
A judge has questioned the legal disbursements sought to be approved in a $30 million class action settlement against Westpac over allegedly excessive life insurance premiums, particularly the “extraordinarily large” barrister fees charged in the case.
Facing off in the courtroom against large litigation firms is never easy, says solicitor Christiaan Roberts, the head of Sydney’s Roberts & Partners, but there are advantages to being small and nimble.
Lawyerly is pleased to announce the winners of its inaugural Litigation Rising Stars competition, which honours 30 lawyers under the age of 40 for their work in high-stakes litigation.
A Sydney law firm has successfully defended a NSW Supreme Court lawsuit by angry former clients who tried to overturn a $492,000 settlement and accused the firm of a breaching its fiduciary duties and unconscionable conduct.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
A judge has approved a $7 million settlement in a class action against the directors of pharmaceutical company QRxPharma, only a third of which will go to group members, saying proportionality was not a basis for rejecting fees that were otherwise fair and reasonable.
The funder backing a shareholder class action against the directors of pharmaceutical firm QRxPharma will not seek to profit from a $7 million settlement in order to bring about a better return for group members, a judge has been told.
Race car driver and former owner of the famous Byron Bay Hotel, Max Twigg, misappropriated around $100 million in family trust money, taking steps to conceal the transfer of funds from his mother, a court has found.
The funder behind a class action against Westpac over allegedly excessive insurance premiums has confirmed that it will continue backing the case despite earlier concerns it may pull out in the wake of the High Court’s landmark ruling on common fund orders.