The judge overseeing seven class actions against some of the world’s largest car makers over defective Takata airbags has ordered that class closure take place in advance of mediation, saying it was “time…for commercial reality to bite”.
Japanese auto maker Mazda is facing regulatory action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for allegedly refusing to provide purchasers of defective vehicles with a full refund or no-cost replacement, amid a continuing threat of a possible class action over alleged defects in certain vehicles.
An impending judgment in the long-running class action against Johnson & Johnson unit Ethicon over allegedly defective pelvic mesh implants has sent the parties scrambling about opt out notices and the Federal Court considering reversing prior orders that expanded the group definition.
The Northern Territory government has been hit with a class action alleging the Indigenous population of the remote NT community of Wadeye is subject to “institutional racism” by government authorities.
A class action accusing Westpac of issuing unsuitable home loans is pushing forward with overhauled pleadings after the corporate watchdog lost a related regulatory action, and the class now says it was enough that the bank failed to account for borrowers’ so-called essential expenses.
The litigation funder that backed a now dismissed class action against aviation service provider Airservices has argued funders should not face costs orders in Fair Work class actions, with a judge saying the debate raised “a point of high principle”.
Lawfinance, formerly known as Just Kapital, has won summary dismissal of a lawsuit initiated by its founder seeking a piece of the funder’s $5 million cut of the $16.85 million Wickham securities class action settlement.
UGL shareholders that signed up to a class action against the engineering company over disclosures related to its Ichthys power plant contract will get less than half of an $18 million settlement, even after the litigation funder takes a steep cut to its 30 per cent commission and the plaintiff’s firm caps its fees.
A litigation funder is planning to challenge a landmark Federal Court ruling that found for the first time that funders can be ordered to pay security for costs in Fair Work class actions.
The funder backing a shareholder class action against Woolworths wants a 35 percent slice of any settlement or judgment in the $100 million case, according to its agreement with the applicants.