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Registration and opt out deadlines

Hundreds of thousands of people are eligible to register for the AAI & MTA Class Action. Register before the deadline to be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before the trial. The deadline to register or opt out is 4pm on 18 June 2024 (AEST). We encourage you to register.

It does not cost you anything to register and you will never have to pay any costs out of your own pocket. You can read more about legal costs in our frequently asked questions.

More information can be found in the frequently asked questions or on the Supreme Court of Victoria website.

See notice of registration and opting Out


About the Class Action

This class action relates to add-on insurance products sold through car dealers. It is against AAI Limited (AAI), TAL Life Limited (TAL), and MTA Insurance Pty Ltd (MTA). Maurice Blackburn filed the class action on 30 March 2021 in the Supreme Court of Victoria, on behalf of the lead plaintiff, Zoey Anderson-Vaughan.

The class action alleges that the defendants:

  1. gave “personal advice” to consumers and breached various obligations in relation to the giving of that advice;

  2. engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations; and

  3. wrongly induced consumers to buy the Add-On Insurance, or the defendants knew or should have known that consumers who purchased Add-On Insurance did so under a mistaken belief.

The Plaintiff seeks damages to compensate each Group member (as well as other types of relief). Asteron Life & Superannuation Limited (formerly Suncorp Life & Superannuation Limited) (SLSL) was a former defendant and TAL is responsible for responding to the allegations against SLSL.

Eligibility criteria

You're eligible to register your interest if you received a notice, or at any time between 1 May 2006 and 30 June 2018:

  • you purchased or leased a vehicle from a car dealer;
  • you purchased or leased the vehicle using a loan arranged by the car dealer;
  • in conjunction with the purchase or lease of the vehicle, you purchased at least one of the following add-on insurance products issued by MTA and/or AAI and/or SLSL. These products were generally “branded” MTA:
    • Loan Protection Insurance or Commercial Loan Protection Insurance (also referred to as “consumer credit insurance”);
    • Equity or Equity Plus Insurance (also referred to as “guaranteed asset protection insurance”, “GAP insurance”, or “shortfall insurance”);
    • Cash Benefit Insurance;
    • Extended Vehicle Warranty Insurance (also referred to as “extended vehicle warranty”, “mechanical insurance”, “mechanical breakdown insurance”, or “extended manufacturers insurance”); and
    • Tyre and Rim Insurance.

To view the full group member definition, please see paragraph 2 of the Further Amended Statement of Claim below.

Register your interest by 4pm on 18 June 2024 if you want to be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before the trial. 

Want to find out more?

Please see below some frequently asked questions.

If you would like further information regarding the AAI & MTA Class Action, please contact us at aai_addonclassaction@mauriceblackburn.com.au or on 1800 571 256, or register now.

We are receiving a high volume of calls and emails and we may not be able to respond to your enquiry immediately, but we will respond. We encourage you to register before the deadline to preserve your legal rights. Thank you for your patience.

Frequently asked questions

Add-on insurance is a term used to describe an insurance product that is ‘added on’ to the sale of another product which is the main focus for the consumer i.e. a motor vehicle.

The common types of add-on insurance sold through car dealers are:

  • Loan Protection Insurance (also referred to as “repayment insurance”, “consumer credit insurance” or “CCI”). This insures a borrower’s capacity to make repayments under a car loan, including insurance against sickness, injury, disability, death or unemployment;

  • Motor Equity Insurance (also referred to as “guaranteed asset protection insurance”, “GAP insurance”, “shortfall insurance”, “equity insurance”, “equity plus insurance”, “cash benefit insurance”, “purchase price insurance” or “value protect insurance”). This covers the difference between what a consumer owes on their car loan and any amount they may receive under their comprehensive insurance policy, if the car is a total loss;

  • Extended Motor Warranty (also referred to as “mechanical insurance”, “motor vehicle warranty” “mechanical breakdown insurance”, “extended manufacturers warranty”, “extended vehicle warranty insurance”, or “extended warranty insurance”). This covers the cost of repairing or replacing parts of the car due to mechanical failure after the manufacturer’s or dealer’s warranty has expired; and

  • Tyre and Rim Insurance. This covers the cost of repairing or replacing damaged tyres and rims from blowouts, punctures or other road damage.


The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has undertaken extensive reviews into this industry. Its reviews suggested that add-on insurance sold through car dealers represents poor value for consumers. 

The more common types of motor vehicle insurance such as comprehensive, third party property, or compulsory third-party insurance are not part of the AAI Car Dealer Add-On Insurance Class Action.

Where seven or more people have claims that arise out of similar circumstances, a class action can be brought by one claimant on their own behalf and as a representative of others.

The class action process saves time and expense by avoiding the need for the courts to determine common issues of fact or law more than once. Class actions are efficient, enabling disputes and claims involving large numbers of people to be resolved via a single case.

Group members will never have to pay any legal costs out of their own pocket, whether or not you register or opt out.

If the class action is successful, the plaintiff’s legal costs will be calculated as 25% of any settlement or judgment sum recovered. This means that 75% of any settlement or judgment sum will be distributed to the Group Members.

This is called a “group costs order” and it was approved by the Court.

The court can change that percentage at any time during the class action, but if that happens the Court will consider the best interests of Group Members, and Group Members will be notified of any change. 

If the class action is unsuccessful, Maurice Blackburn will cover any costs the Court may order against us, and group members will not be liable to pay any costs.

More information regarding the GCO and costs in general is in the Funding Information Summary Statement

Register your interest by 4pm on 18 June 2024 if you want to be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before the trial. Register here.

Group members will never have to pay any legal costs out of their own pocket, whether or not you register or opt out

If the class action is unsuccessful, Maurice Blackburn will cover any costs the Court may order against us, and group members will not be liable to pay any costs.

Register your interest by 4pm on 18 June 2024 if you want to be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before the trial. Register here.

If you register:

  • you may be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before trial.
  • if there is no settlement before the trial, then the class action will proceed to trial. If the class action is successful (either at the trial or a subsequent settlement), you may be eligible to claim money from any judgment or settlement.

Register here by 4pm on 18 June 2024.

If the class action is unsuccessful you will not be liable for any legal costs.

Once you have registered, you do not need to do anything else at this stage. If a settlement or judgment occurs, we will contact you in relation to next steps.

If you opt out, you will not be eligible to claim money from any settlement or judgment in the class action.

You may pursue your own claims against the defendants, provided that you file Court proceedings within the time limit applicable to your claims. If you want to pursue your own claims, you should seek your own independent legal advice about your claims and any time limits before opting out

You can opt out before 4pm on 18 June 2024 by emailing or posting the signed form attached to the notice (Attachment B) to the Supreme Court of Victoria, or completing the online opt out form on the Supreme Court of Victoria website.

 

If you do not register and do not opt out, if there is a settlement before the trial, you will not be eligible to claim any money, unless the court makes a further order. You may also lose your right to pursue your own claim against the defendants.

If there is not a settlement before the trial, you will be bound by the trial result or any subsequent settlement, meaning you may be eligible to claim money if the plaintiff is successful at trial or there is a subsequent settlement.

You should read the notice carefully before deciding to opt out or do nothing as it will affect your rights and you may miss out on compensation available to registered group members.

Register your interest by 4pm on 18 June 2024 if you want to be eligible to claim money if there is a settlement before the trial. Register here.

Key documents

We are receiving a high volume of enquiries. The most important thing is that you register before the deadline.

Register here

Or:
Call: 1800 571 256
Email: aai_addonclassaction@mauriceblackburn.com.au

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We are the only Australian class actions firm to deliver $100m+ settlements to clients in shareholder and listed securities actions, which we have done on ten occasions.  

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