Fierce Competition Podcast | Letter From London: The Rise of UK Class Actions and the Competition Appeal Tribunal
The United Kingdom remains a key European jurisdiction for competition damages actions, also in a post-Brexit world. In particular the number of collective proceedings for competition damages has significantly increased. This...more
In the first certification decision since the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in PACCAR, the CAT has held that a litigation funding agreement (LFA) revised in light of PACCAR was not a damages-based agreement (DBA) and it was...more
Generally, claims in the UK (including class actions) can be settled without court approval. Settlement is particularly important in competition damages claims, given the complexity, uncertainty and cost of litigating these...more
Recently the English Court of Appeal (CoA) in Evans v Barclays & Ors1 overturned a decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), allowing a follow-on damages claim against various international banks to proceed on an...more
To bring a collective competition action in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (“CAT”), a proposed class representative first has to have their claim certified by the CAT. The CAT’s approach to certification is therefore an...more
Trucks, trucks, trucks – unless you’ve been living under a rock in the antitrust world, you’ve probably heard about, or even worked on, one of the many follow-on litigation claims related to the Commission’s 2016 cartel...more
Costs matter - in collective proceedings, where costs can be staggeringly high at the certification stage alone, costs allocation can be an important factor influencing parties’ litigation conduct. However, costs...more
Historically, class action lawsuits were primarily tied to the U.S. With the exceptions of Canada, Australia, and a few others, most countries around the globe did not embrace this legal recovery mechanism as freely and...more
After protracted challenges to class certification status, in Merricks v Mastercard the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) granted its first collective proceedings order (CPO). The claim remains huge, comprising 46.2...more
Key Takeaways - The United Kingdom’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) recently granted the U.K.’s first ever Collective Proceeding Order (CPO), on an “opt-out” basis, in Walter Hugh Merricks CBE v Mastercard Incorporated &...more
This week has seen a major breakthrough in the UK’s fledgling class action regime, which brought opt-out collective proceedings to the UK for the first time back in 2015. The first opt-out collective action has now been...more
Class actions aren’t just for U.S. courts anymore. Our Litigation Group explores the potential for transatlantic class action liability and the growth of collective redress throughout the UK and EU....more
In a landmark judgment (and in unusual circumstances), the UK Supreme Court has held that the ongoing Merricks v Mastercard case should be referred back to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Not only is this a step...more
UK class actions revived? The Court of Appeal breathes life into Merricks' £14 billion claim against MasterCard - The Court of Appeal has allowed Walter Merricks' appeal of the Competition Appeal Tribunal's (the "CAT")...more
In a landmark ruling the Court of Appeal has given another chance to a £14 billion class action against MasterCard. The first case of its kind, brought on behalf of 46 million UK consumers, stalled two years ago when the...more
Despite 20 years of robust legislative activity in the field of consumer protection and the 2013 European Commission recommendation on collective redress mechanisms, a harmonized approach to collective redress such as group...more
Brussels Antitrust/Competition partner (and English lawyer) Matthew Hall brings us an update on antitrust class actions filed under new procedures in the UK. Antitrust class actions in the UK are beginning to take hold...more
On 1 October 2015 the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015) entered into force, bringing with it a raft of changes pertaining to consumer protection law and competition law litigation. These changes were discussed in an...more
Winds of change are blowing through Europe’s national courts, beginning with a new antitrust damages Directive requiring changes in national laws to facilitate private enforcement of competition law. This step was a major...more
On 1 October 2015 the UK introduced a new class action regime for breaches of competition law (specifically cartel conduct or abuse of dominant position) permitting collective proceedings for damages claims which will be...more
The UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) entered into force on 1 October. As well as amending a number of aspects of consumer protection law, the CRA implements sweeping reforms of the private competition litigation regime in...more
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (“CRA”) comes into force today, 1 October 2015. It introduces major reforms to the antitrust damages actions regime in the UK. In particular, the CRA broadens the type of cases that can be heard...more