Air Cargo Settlement

Jane is a self-funded retiree who purchased 16,000 GIO shares. It was later revealed that GIO failed to disclose important matters to her, and to other investors. Jane did not know how little risk there was for her in joining with the thousands of other class members to fight this case. Jane was paid $23,000 when this case settled and is very happy that he joined the action.

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Further Information

IMPORTANT NOTICE to Australian Group Members of the Air Cargo Class Action about the Lufthansa Settlement reached in parallel US and Canadian class actions

Maurice Blackburn has issued a class action in the Federal Court of Australia against Qantas, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, JAL and British Airways for losses arising from a global price-fixing cartel involving international airfreight from 1 January 2000 to date ("Air Cargo Class Action"). Parallel class actions have also been issued in the US and Canada.

At present no settlements have been reached with the respondent airlines in the Australian Air Cargo Class Action. However, settlements with Lufthansa have been reached in both the US and Canadian air cargo class actions ("Lufthansa Settlement") for the respective amounts of US$85m and US$5.3m.

Australian residents that have purchased airfreight within, to, or from the US or within, to, or from Canada from 1 January 2000 to 11 September 2006 will be eligible to participate in the Lufthansa Settlement and share in the early payments made by Lufthansa once final approval is granted. It does not matter which airline or freight forwarder was used to provide the airfreight services.

Maurice Blackburn will be assisting all clients in the Air Cargo Class Action to submit a claim to share in the Lufthansa Settlement once final approval is granted.

If you are not already signed up to the Australian Air Cargo Class Action, please submit the following details and one of our professional staff will contact you.

Contact Name	*
Company
Position
Telephone	*
Email Address	*
		Note: * Denotes required fields.

Please note that you will not be bound by any obligation to pay legal fees simply by submitting these details and our firm undertakes to maintain in strict confidence all information submitted.

Click here for more information about the US and Canadian Lufthansa Settlement

Options available under the Lufthansa Settlement

1. Remain in the Lufthansa settlement class and submit a claim form. Once final approval is granted, we will forward the claim
forms to all clients; or

2. Exclude yourself from the settlement class before 3 November 2008 in which case you will not be bound by the Lufthansa settlement. Provided you are an eligible Group Member , your claim will be preserved as part of the claims made under the Australian Air Cargo Class Action; or

3. Object to the terms of the settlement before 3 November 2008 (we can advise details of the process involved should you wish to avail yourself of this option); or

4. Do nothing - you will not be eligible to receive a share in the Lufthansa Settlement and you will be releasing Lufthansa from claims described in the release under the Lufthansa Settlement.

Definitions

Final Approval

Class action settlements require court approval in order for them to take effect. The Lufthansa Settlement has been granted preliminary approval by the relevant courts and the final approval hearing is scheduled to take place on 9 December 2008. The worldwide notification process to foreign purchasers eligible to participate in the Lufthansa Settlement is now taking place.

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Who are the group members in this Maurice Blackburn class action?

All businesses or individuals currently resident in Australia who paid more than $20,000 during the period 1 January 2000 to 11 January 2007 for the carriage of goods to or from Australia by air are the group members in this proceeding and eligible to participate in this claim.

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Release

In exchange for Lufthansa's settlement payments and cooperation in the US and Canadian class actions, the settlement class will be bound by releases provided to Lufthansa with respect to its liability for damages for purchases of airfreight shipping services within, to, or from the US and Canada.

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