When Five Class Actions Collide Before Anyone Chooses a Lawyer
When five shareholder class actions were launched against AMP after the Banking Royal Commission, the courts faced a new kind of competition — not between plaintiffs and defendants, but between law firms and litigation funders. In Wigmans v AMP Ltd (2021), the High Court rejected the idea that the “first to file” should automatically lead. The decision reshaped Australia’s approach to class action multiplicity and clarified that only Parliament — not courts — can decide who gets to run a case.
When Silence Becomes a Legal Right
A court cannot force someone to speak simply because disclosure would make a case easier to run. In Crown Resorts Ltd v Zantran Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 1, the Full Court confirmed that confidentiality remains a legal right unless shown unlawful, and that efficiency in litigation cannot override substantive rights. This case explains why structural boundaries matter in the justice system and what Australians should understand about confidentiality, fairness and proper legal process.