FEATURE: Court of Appeal judgment further opens class action gates

Fri, 04 Oct 2019

The Court of Appeal's landmark Southern Response may not unleash an avalanche of class action lawsuits, but that shouldn't diminish the significance of the decision handed down last month. The Court of Appeal has decided to allow "opt-out" class action suits, rather than the "opt-in" approach New Zealand courts have previously taken. It all hinges on how one interprets High Court rule 4.24, a procedural rule with origins in the 18th century and the only peg New Zealand courts have to hang their decisions on in class action cases. "Wher...

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