Uber faces court battle with drivers over employment status – The Guardian

‘Uber is facing a legal challenge from drivers who say that they should be recognised officially as workers at the company, as calls grow for new rights for the UK’s burgeoning army of self-employed individuals.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Shoppers ‘ripped off’ by MasterCard stand to gain £400 compensation in record class action – Daily Telegraph

‘Shoppers have been ripped off by as much as £400 each due to unfair chip and pin charges in shops, lawyers preparing a historic class action case against MasterCard have claimed.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 6th July 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

MasterCard faces £19bn lawsuit over claims it ripped off shoppers – The Independent

‘MasterCard is facing a claim of up to £19 billion in damages in a UK collective action over card charges that were passed on to shoppers.’

Full story

The Independent, 6th July 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

First opt-out collective action lodged with Competition Appeal Tribunal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 27th, 2016 in appeals, class actions, competition, consumer protection, damages, news, tribunals by sally

‘The first opt-out collective action seeking damages for breaches of competition law has been lodged with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), following changes to the law in October 2015.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 27th June 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Father who won High Court school holidays case eyes group litigation – Local Government Lawyer

‘The man who defeated Isle of Wight Council in a high-profile court battle over the enforcement of a fine imposed for taking his daughter to Florida during term time has unveiled plans to take forward group litigation.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 8th June 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Mau Mau lawsuit due to begin at high court – The Guardian

‘Compensation claims for torture, rape, wrongful detention and forced labour brought by 40,000 Kenyans who allege they were mistreated by British officials during the Mau Mau insurgency are due to be heard in the high court in London on Monday.’

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Apple under pressure as lawyers pledge action over ‘Error 53’ codes – The Guardian

‘Apple has come under pressure to scrap its controversial policy of permanently disabling repaired iPhone 6s when software is upgraded, following a global consumer backlash and claims the company could be acting illegally.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Phone hacking: Fresh News of the World claims to be heard – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2016 in class actions, interception, media, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Fresh claims of phone hacking by the now defunct News of the World newspaper can be heard in court, a High Court judge has ruled.’

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BBC News, 18th January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police apologise to women who had relationships with undercover officers – The Guardian

‘Police chiefs have apologised unreservedly to seven women who were deceived into forming long-term relationships with undercover police officers, it has been announced.The Metropolitan police have also paid substantial, undisclosed amounts of compensation to the women who had intimate relationships, lasting up to nine years, with the undercover spies.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Air freight damages claim struck out as “irresponsible” and lacking in authority – Zenith Chambers

Posted November 12th, 2015 in abuse of process, airlines, class actions, damages, news, striking out by sally

‘The High Court has struck out claims against British Airways for damages allegedly arising from the air freight cartel on the basis of lack of authority. The claim was issued on behalf of 64,697 claimants, all members of the Chinese Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), an organisation that issues certificates of origin when goods are exported from China.’

Full story

Zenith Chambers, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

High Court throws out 65,000 ‘highly irresponsible’ price-fixing claims – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 29th, 2015 in abuse of process, airlines, appeals, class actions, news, price fixing, striking out by sally

‘The High Court has thrown out almost 65,000 claims brought on behalf of Chinese businesses after finding the firm acting had no authority to do so.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 27th October 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Dust settles on new UK antitrust litigation regime – Zenith Chambers

Posted October 7th, 2015 in class actions, competition, consumer protection, news, tribunals by sally

‘With the Consumer Rights Act 2015 competition law provisions coming into effect on 1 October it is time to reflect on what the reforms, including the new opt-out collective actions regime and enhanced role for the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), will mean in practice.’

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Zenith Chambers, 5th October 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

US-style class actions introduced in UK – BBC News

Posted October 1st, 2015 in class actions, compensation, competition, consumer protection, news, tribunals by sally

‘A newly introduced law allows British courts to hear US-style class actions – where one or several people sue on behalf of a much larger group.’

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BBC News, 1st October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sainsbury’s faces equal pay battle with female shop floor workers – The Guardian

‘Sainsbury’s is facing legal action from four female shopfloor workers who claim they are paid less than men to do equally valuable jobs at the supermarket chain.
The case, which will be the subject of a preliminary hearing at a Birmingham employment tribunal on Friday, comes as a similar legal action involving 6,000 female Asda employees remains to be settled.’

Full story

The Guardian, 9th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Australian litigation funder plans more mass claims against big UK firms – The Guardian

Posted January 19th, 2015 in bills, class actions, consumer protection, foreign jurisdictions, news by sally

‘The Australian litigation funder coordinating shareholders’ legal action against Tesco is promising to launch more mass claims against large firms in the UK.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MMR vaccine: lawyers sued for pursuing claim based on link to autism – The Guardian

‘A man is suing his former legal team for pursuing “hopeless claims” based on flawed research into the MMR vaccine, it has emerged.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sharing Risk in Collective Actions – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted March 5th, 2014 in class actions, competition, consultations, costs, damages, news by sally

‘Readers of this blog will be familiar with the Government’s announcement, following the conclusion last year of its consultation on private actions in competition law, that it intends to introduce an “opt out” regime for collective competition law actions. In brief, unless they specifically choose to opt out, UK-domiciled consumers and businesses will automatically be included as claimants in collective actions, provided they satisfy the criteria for membership set by the Competition Appeal Tribunal when it certifies the class. One of the particular policy objectives behind this proposal is to empower small businesses and consumers to seek redress in respect of anti-competitive behaviour. The combination of the complexity and cost of seeking such redress is seen currently to form an almost insurmountable hurdle to all but the largest claims.’

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers,

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

When three into one will go – High Court rejects challenge to single costs budget for three cases – Litigation Futures

Posted February 11th, 2014 in budgets, class actions, costs, news by sally

‘The High Court has rejected a Mitchell challenge to a budget that could have left well-known car manufacturer Lotus with hundreds of thousands of pounds of costs up in smoke.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 11th February 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal bid over swine flu jab link to narcolepsy – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 13th, 2013 in class actions, compensation, indemnities, medical treatment, news, vaccination by sally

“A group of 38 British people who developed narcolepsy after receiving the ‘Pandemrix’ swine flu vaccine have launched a legal claim against its manufacturer.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th November 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal action over Furness General Hospital deaths – BBC News

“More than 30 families have taken legal action against a hospital in north-west
England for a catalogue of baby and maternal deaths and injuries.”

Full story

BBC News, 15th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk