In brief
The recent settlement of the Great Southern class action raises a number of interesting and important issues, not only because the court took the unusual step of publishing its reasons for judgment after the settlement had been announced.
Our feature article in the latest edition of Class Action Insights takes an in-depth look at the various aspects of the settlement which raise important issues for defendants to consider in structuring a class action settlement.
Our second article looks forward to some of the developments on key issues that are expected during 2015. These include determinations on the ability of litigation funders to recover on a 'common fund' basis, the causation question in shareholder class actions and further clarification of the law of penalties and the workings of the proportionate liability regime – all of which have the potential to significantly influence the shape of the class actions landscape in the year to come.