Our Class Action Experience    

From the first, to the biggest to ground breaking environmental actions and historic victories for asbestos victims Slater & Gordon’s record on class and group actions is unrivalled:

Breast Implants

Slater & Gordon ran one of the largest class actions ever conducted in Australian history on behalf of thousands of women who suffered injury as a result of defective breast implants. The litigation was conducted in Australia and the United States and resulted in an historic result which was praised by the Supreme Court of Victoria who approved the final settlement.

Contaminated peanut butter

In one of Australia's first successful class action, Slater & Gordon represented more than 1000 people who suffered salmonella poisoning after consuming contaminated peanut butter.

Medically acquired HIV

On a state-by-state basis over several years of legal battles and several landmark court victories, Slater & Gordon negotiated with state governments to secure more than $300 million for 500 people who became HIV-positive after being given contaminated blood during childbirth or surgery. Many have since died. This was the first national settlement of its kind in the world. We have also acted for hundreds of people who contracted Hepatitis C from blood supplies.

Wallis Lake  Oysters

Slater & Gordon were ultimately successful in obtaining compensation on behalf of persons who suffered injury as a result of consuming oysters which were contaminated with hepatitis A .

OK Tedi

Between 1994 and 1996 some 30,000 Papua-New Guinean landowners, whose traditional lifestyle was destroyed by tailings waste from BHP's Ok Tedi mine being dumped in the Ok Tedi and Fly River systems, were represented by Slater & Gordon. The 1996 settlement with BHP included compensation to landowners and obligations with respect to tailings management. It was a landmark environmental case that established the accountability of miners operating in Third World countries.

Sydney Water

Hundreds of businesses which suffered financial loss as a result of Sydney's contaminated water alerts in late 1998 won compensation.

Tobacco - Rolah McCabe

In October 2001 Slater & Gordon commenced legal proceedings on behalf of Rolah McCabe against the second largest tobacco company in the world, British American Tobacco (formerly known as WD & HO Wills). The claim, filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria, alleged that Mrs McCabe had contracted terminal lung cancer as a result of smoking Capstan and Escort cigarettes, brands manufactured by BAT, over a 30 year period. Mrs McCabe began smoking in 1962 when she was just 12 years old, long before there were any warnings on cigarette packets. After the decision was overturned in the Victorian Court of Appeal Slater & Gordon has continued to work towards justice for the McCabe family and in order to protect the legal system from abuse.

Wittenoom

Hundreds of former asbestos miners and their families were successfully represented in the landmark Wittenoom case which was ultimately resolved on a group basis. We have since won compensation for builders, power workers, ship builders, white collar workers, waterside workers, and those who have contracted terminal asbestos-related cancer after exposure. We continue to fight hard to win justice for the victims of this deadly product.

World Hot Bread Bakery

We represented more than 700 people who suffered salmonella poisoning as a result of consuming contaminated food products from the World Hot Bread Bakery in Melbourne in March 1997.