Stuff
New Zealand should introduce Australian-style “opt out” class action lawsuits, says leading class action lawyer Adina Thorn.
Class action civil lawsuits, in which groups of claimants club together to sue companies or government departments for compensation, can be taken in New Zealand.
But they can only be taken in the names of claimants who actively “opt in” to them, contrasting with Australia where class actions can be “opt out” affairs where all potential claimants in a case are included, unless they choose to actively opt out.