Judges should be given the power to make class closure orders again, defence law firms have told the latest class action inquiry, which comes on the heels of a landmark appeals court ruling that there is no statutory authority to keep unregistered class members out of a group proceeding.
Tens of thousands of Ford cars which contain an allegedly defective transmission system are “lemons”, a court heard on day one of a six-week hearing in a long-running class action against the car maker.
Much of the criticism of the ligitaion funding industry being played out in the media recently is based on misinformation, says Andrew Saker of Omni Bridgeway.
The class action system is working well, and reform that limits access to the regime should be carefully considered, the latest government inquiry has been told by a chorus of experts, including lawyers, academics and Australia’s competition cop. Still, some defence firms say recent moves cracking down on class actions don’t go far enough.
A class action brought against three medical device manufacturers and a disgraced former doctor on behalf of thousands of women who claim to have suffered lifelong complications from pelvic mesh implants is seeking to add the doctor’s medical insurance company to the proceedings.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has become the latest Big Four bank to be hit with a class action over the sales of allegedly worthless insurance products.
Domino’s is seeking to strike out portions of the “rolled up, confusing pleading” in a class action over alleged worker underpayments, saying the case cannot be brought under the consumer law.
The judge overseeing three class actions against the Commonwealth over its use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam, which have settled for $212.5 million, said backing by a litigation funder led to a better outcome for group members, who would otherwise have been in the disadvantaged position of “supplicants requesting compensation”.
Court documents sought to be kept confidential in a case alleging professional misconduct against barrister Norman O’Bryan SC in his role as counsel for a class action over the collapse of Banksia Securities accuse the top silk of continuing to have an interest in the funder that bankrolled the proceedings after his wife was said to have sold her shares.
A judge has given his blessing to a landmark $212.5 million settlement of three class actions over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam at government military bases despite a “large number” of objections.