A judge has approved a $300 million settlement in two pelvic mesh class actions against Johnson & Johnson and unit Ethicon — the largest settlement in the history of Australian product liability group proceedings — but a $100 million deduction for legal costs has yet to get the greenlight.
Boston Scientific’s $105 million settlement of a class action over its pelvic mesh devices has secured court approval, but the costs billed by the law firm running the case will face further scrutiny.
A senior barrister acting for a class action over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam on military bases has slammed an upcoming mediation as a “solemn farce”, as the federal government has said it will not be ready to commit to a settlement.
Opal Tower engineer WSP is battling insurers for builder Icon over coverage for the costs of a class action by residents, telling a court on Wednesday that Icon was liable for alleged structural defects in the building despite having subcontracted the structural design to WSP.
A judge has approved a confidential settlement in a class action against KPMG and nine former Gunns Plantations directors over the failure of six managed investment schemes for eucalyptus wood in Tasmania.
The funder in the Opal Tower class action has appealed a judge’s decision to slash its commission for not disclosing proposed deductions from the settlement sum as percentages, telling the Full Court that group members could do “simple arithmetic”.
A ground-breaking class action has been filed in Victoria against the AFL seeking compensation for former players who sustained concussion-related injuries during games.
Shareholders have brought a class action in Australia against New Zealand-based Fletcher Building, alleging the company failed to disclose material information relating to its construction division.
A judge overseeing a security dispute in a shareholder class action against KPMG and former directors of Arrium has found that potential profits to the plaintiff law firm running the case under a group costs order is not relevant to determining the quantum of security for costs.
The question of whether judges have the power to hear employment cases as representative proceedings is headed to the Full Court after a union raised the issue as it battles to have its underpayments case against McDonald’s run instead of a Shine Lawyers class action.