By: Amanda Beattie and Gavin Davies In a decision that is bound to disappoint plaintiff law firms but delight litigation funders, the High Court has quashed the Full Federal Court’s decision to allow solicitor’s CFOs in the Federal Court in the Blue Sky Class Action (see Kain v R&B Investments Pty Ltd Ernst & Young […]
By: Amanda Beattie, James Clohesy and Clare McNamara Justice Wigney delivered his judgment in Pabai Pabai v Commonwealth of Australia (Pabai) yesterday, an important decision in the context of climate change litigation in Australia and for government agencies across the country. Pabai was brought as a class action on behalf of all Torres Strait Islanders alleging […]
The future of insurance and risk in Asia-Pacific is here, and rapidly evolving. Are you ready? In a world marked by rapid technological advancement, innovation, evolving regulatory demands and increasing complexity across multiple risk sectors, Future Proof ’25 examines the diverse forces reshaping insurance and business landscapes. This report highlights emerging trends and critical challenges […]
By: Amanda Beattie, Jonathon Ferraro and Madeleine Wright At a glance High Court Decision on GCOs: The High Court ruled that Group Costs Orders (GCOs) issued by the Supreme Court of Victoria (VSC) are not enforceable in other courts, influencing jurisdictional decisions in class actions. BlueSky Class Action Challenge: The Court is reviewing whether solicitors […]
By: Amanda Beattie, Zoe Jones and Nick Salagaras At a glance In December 2024, a consumer-led PFAS class action was filed against 3M Australia Pty Ltd in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Despite significant US litigation, this marks the first class action against 3M in Australia related to PFAS contamination and the first consumer-led PFAS […]
By: Amanda Beattie and Zoe Jones At a glance Following its decisions in other shareholder class actions late 2023 and 2024, the Federal Court has handed down yet another unfavourable decision for shareholders (Davis v Wilson [2025] FCA 108). The claim alleged that Quintis’ CEO, Frank Wilson, and its auditor, Ernst & Young, engaged in […]
By: Amanda Beattie, Zoe Jones and Nick Salagaras At a glance The Supreme Court of Victoria has granted an application made by a defendant (Waller Legal) for a claim to no longer proceed as a group proceeding. The claim made by the lead plaintiff, Jane Jones (a pseudonym) alleged that Waller Legal breached its duty […]
2024 was another eventful year in the class actions space. There were some important decisions, notable settlements and a reduction in the number of shareholder class actions, which has traditionally been quite dominant. We have also seen a growing trend of class actions which focus on consumer protection, data breaches following cyber security incidents and […]
Following the Optus and Medibank data breaches in 2021-2022, the increase in litigation has triggered a range of new considerations and developments in the space. In our latest Trend Watch video on data breaches, Cyber, Privacy + Technology partner Nicole Gabryk and Commercial Litigation special counsel Gavin Davies discuss the increasing activity of regulators, litigants […]
With litigation escalating across data breaches and privacy class actions, there are new questions around legal privilege when obtaining forensic reports. As part of our Trend Watch video series, Cyber, Privacy + Technology partner Nicole Gabryk and Commercial Litigation special counsel Gavin Davies discuss privilege claims arising from the Optus and Medibank data breaches in 2021-2022, […]
