Knowmore Legal Service Class Action

A class action is a legal case for seven or more people impacted by the same issue.

If wrongdoing affects a lot of people, the claims may be brought together and resolved via a single case. Class actions provide a path to justice for individuals who don’t have the resources to make a claim on their own, or in a situation where people affected are not aware that they have a claim.

You are a Group Member in the Knowmore Class Action if you:

• Suffered child sexual abuse and related abuse caused by one or more of the Institutions resulting in personal injury;
• Retained in writing Knowmore Legal Service as your lawyer;
• On or after 5 July 2018, released from liability one or more of the Institutions to obtain redress under the National Redress Scheme;
• Before releasing one or more Institutions to obtain redress under the National Redress Scheme, did not receive current advice from Knowmore Legal Service or another lawyer regarding:
  • The prospects of success of any common law claim against one or more of the Institutions you would be releasing; and
  • The estimated quantum of damages you could obtain from one or more of the Institutions through a common law claim.
• Before releasing one or more Institutions to obtain redress under the National Redress Scheme, you were not warned by Knowmore Legal Service that accepting the National Redress Scheme payment meant losing the opportunity to bring a civil claim against an Institution that was likely to result in significantly more money than the National Redress Scheme payment.

For further detail, refer to paragraph 14 of the Further Amended Statement of Claim, available here.

The lead plaintiff in the Knowmore Class Action is Brian Holmes. His role in the class action is to pursue his claim for damages and represent the interests of group members insofar as their claims have issues in common with Mr Holmes’ claim.

The lead plaintiff will provide instructions to his lawyers about how the proceeding will be conducted and will give evidence during the trial of the proceeding that may be used to help determine some of the common issues affecting group members’ claims.

The law firm acting for the lead plaintiff is Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers (“ATB”). You can find out more about our firm here.

No.

No.

Group members in a class action are not individually responsible for the legal costs associated with bringing a class action, and group members do not pay out-of-pocket costs by participating in the class action.

We don’t know how much compensation eligible group members may receive if the case is successful.

Any amount will likely differ from person to person depending on various factors, several of which may be unique to each group member’s individual claim.

It can take several years for a class action to resolve. The time taken from case commencement through to resolution depends on the particular case and the nature of the claim.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a timeframe for how long the class action will take to resolve. Our objective will always be to act in the best interests of the group and ensure any resolution is reached as quickly as possible while seeking the best outcome for group members.

Yes, your contact details will remain confidential, and we will seek your consent before disclosing any of your personal information.

Arnold Thomas & Becker will only use your personal information strictly for the purpose of the legal proceedings.