Summary
The Federal Court of Australia has granted leave to shareholders of a company in liquidation to proceed against the company's insurers under the Civil Liability (Third Party Claims Against Insurers) Act 2017 (NSW), after an earlier application for leave to proceed against the company was refused.
Summary
The unanimous decision of the High Court on 9 November 2016 in Timbercorp Finance Pty Ltd (in liq) v Collins & Timbercorp Finance Pty Ltd (in liq) v Tomes may increase the likelihood of satellite litigation by individual group members following group proceedings.
It follows from the decision that, if group proceedings are heard, group members are only bound by the answers to common questions and the pleadings; they are not, for example, precluded from raising individual claims which were not raised in the group proceeding.
Summary
The recent New South Wales Supreme Court decision in Re HIH Insurance Ltd (In Liquidation)1 has potentially significant implications for securities class actions where there are allegations that a listed company has failed to disclose material information to the market and/or engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct causing the company's shares to trade at an inflated price.