Fulfilling a pre-election promise, the Albanese government has announced a royal commission into the controversial Robodebt scheme initiated by the previous federal government, which raised more than $1.7 billion in illegitimate debts from Centrelink recipients.
A consolidated class action’s bid to include claims concerning dairy company a2 Milk’s disclosures to the New Zealand stock exchange is in doubt, despite broad agreement between the parties that the claims can be pursued in Victoria.
Westpac and the lead applicant in a class action filed in the wake of AUSTRAC proceedings are still battling it out over discovery of evidence three years into the case. And the applicant claims the bank’s discovery protocol fails the new test set by the Full Federal Court earlier this year.
South Korean car makers Hyundai and Kia are facing a class action investigation in Australia over cars containing potentially defective petrol engines, after agreeing to a settlement worth more than $1 billion in related US litigation last year.
Two law firms that filed competing class actions against regenerative medicine company Mesoblast for allegedly misleading shareholders about its Remestemcel-L treatment for COVID-19 complications have agreed to join forces and sidestep a beauty parade.
Failed asset manager Blue Sky Alternative Investments has been served with a class action over the company’s alleged overstated financial reports between 2016 and 2018 that also targets nine former directors as well as auditors Ernst & Young.
Law firms Shine Lawyers and Phi Finney McDonald have won a contest to jointly run a class action against embattled tech company Nuix, with rival Banton Group losing out on its “opaque” funding agreement.
Fighting what they say is a stultifying $1.23 million order for security for defence costs in a class action, franchisees of Hog’s Breath Cafe have argued it is up to the restaurant chain to prove group members can pony up the dough.
A New South Wales developer and construction company have been hit with a class action by aggrieved property owners at a Central Coast commercial development who say the building was riddled with defects, including subpar air conditioning.
Despite noting that a class action trial and appeal were “unusual”, a judge overseeing a long-running class action against Ford has refused an application to send a notice to group members about a coming appeal in the case.