As fertile ground for class actions the Royal Commission has highlighted an ongoing problem with Australia's class action regime - there is no clear consistent means for resolving competing class actions. ...

In the latest instalment in the attempts to deal with competing shareholder class actions the Full Federal Court has ordered the transfer of four shareholder class actions against AMP to the Supreme Court of New South Wales where a fifth class action is already pending In doing so the court gave the ...

The VLRC has completed its review of Victoria's class action regime, with a particular focus on the effect of litigation funding. The report calls for national regulation of litigation funding, lifting the ban on contingency fees and a greater supervisory role for the Victorian Supreme Court. ...

As part of its current inquiry into class actions and litigation funders the Australian Law Reform Commission has released a discussion paper that is a timely contribution to the long-running debate on the appropriate regulation of class action proceedings and litigation funding In general it ...

The Federal Court has made orders permanently staying two competing shareholder class actions against GetSwift Limited and allowing a third class action to proceed The latest in a series of judgments where the courts have grappled with the problem of competing class actions Justice Lees decision ...

The recent Great Southern class action settlement included a term by which group members acknowledged and admitted that loans taken out with independent financiers to finance investments in Great Southern managed investment schemes were valid and enforceable Two separate Victorian Supreme Court ...

A representative proceeding can only be commenced where seven or more group members have claims against the same person In proceedings with multiple respondents there has been conflicting authority as to whether each group member is required to have a claim against each respondent Last week in Cash ...

Perhaps the most important unanswered question in Australian class action law is how causation may be established in the context of a shareholder class action In the United States this issue has been addressed by the fraud on the market theory This week the US Supreme Court rejected a challenge to ...

The Victorian Law Reform Commissions inquiry into litigation funding and group proceedings provides an important and timely opportunity to reflect on the current operation of our class action regime The regime recognises and was designed to balance competing interests We believe more can be done to ...

A recent High Court case which addressed the Codelfa rule did not explicitly resolve the controversy as to its application, however may be seen as a further departure from the 'ambiguity gateway' approach. ...