Powered by LawFuel – James Hardie’s release to the Australian Stock Exchange yesterday – that it ultimately intends to “cease all manufacturing of products in New Zealand”, at the cost of some 120 Kiwi jobs – is unlikely to stall the class action brought by over 1,000 leaky home owners.
[adrotate banner=”92″]
Adina Thorn, the lawyer leading the action, says the announcement is “concerning” but “not overly surprising” given the history of James Hardie with asbestos in Australia, extensive litigation in that country, and a history of major corporate restructuring.
“We have seen this kind of behaviour before. Now we are seeing a massive downsize of the New Zealand business in the face of significant litigation. Fortunately, our claim is against four other James Hardie companies – three in Australia and the parent company in Ireland. The plaintiffs allege they are each liable.
“If you ask any of the owners – they do not care “which” James Hardie company is legally liable. They just want James Hardie to take responsibility for what they say is designing, manufacturing and selling defective cladding systems and products. They also say that they knew of problems with the products and never said anything, and had a duty to warn”.
“This kind of news gives home owners more stress. Not only do they live in leaky homes in need of recladding and many have mould, they also have health problems, and now have the added worry of “what’s next” with James Hardie. This is when many of the home owners are suffering from significant stress, anxiety and depression”.
The plaintiffs in the class action have a trial in the High Court at Auckland commencing on 3 May 2021 and the trial is due to run for 20 weeks.
For further information please contact:
Adina Thorn Lawyers maryclaire@adinathorn.co.nz +64 9 304 0661
[adrotate banner=”91″]
More on LawFuel
- The Lawyers Behind Australia’s Biggest Music Stars Launch New Entertainment Firm
- Why Cost Per Retained Client Matters More Than Cost Per Click for IP Firms
- What the Stamford Property Market Tells Us About Conveyancing in Smaller UK Towns
- 8 Metrics Plaintiff Firms Should Track in 2026
- Withers Appoints 12 Partners Over Global Offices
- When Should You Contact a Wage Garnishment Attorney?
- How Trump Turned Big Law Lobbying Into A Billion‑Dollar Profit Engine
When Donald Trump turned Washington into a rolling policy experiment, most law firms braced for chaos, but a handful quietly built something else: – a brand new profit engine. Lobbying and government‑relations work, once treated as a sideline for politically connected partners, has become one of Big Law’s fastest‑growing business and a new career path for lawyers from DC to Westminster The Trump‑Era Shock For decades, lobbying has sat on the fringes of large law firms and what they traditionally do. There were always a few partners with good contacts, intermittent mandates, and work that was important but they were rarely central to the firm’s story and what the firm really ‘did’. Log in to read . . .
