Fierce Competition Podcast | Letter From London: The Rise of UK Class Actions and the Competition Appeal Tribunal
The graphic below tracks the number of competition class actions (CPO applications) filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) since the introduction of a new 'opt-out' regime in the UK in October 2015, as well as the...more
On 1 August 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down its landmark judgment in Le Patourel v BT1 refusing the class representative permission to appeal the Competition Appeal Tribunal's ("CAT") dismissal of the opt-out class...more
For our Cooley colleagues in the US, defending class actions against technology platforms has been a part of their day-to-day for many years. However, the need for class action defence lawyers is spreading rapidly to the UK...more
Recently the English Court of Appeal (CoA) in Evans v Barclays & Ors1 overturned a decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), allowing a follow-on damages claim against various international banks to proceed on an...more
The CAT is willing to consider strike-out seriously at the certification stage. The CAT considered striking out the claims of its own motion, and warned the proposed class representatives that they should consider...more
After protracted challenges to class certification status, in Merricks v Mastercard the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) granted its first collective proceedings order (CPO). The claim remains huge, comprising 46.2...more
Key Takeaways - The United Kingdom’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) recently granted the U.K.’s first ever Collective Proceeding Order (CPO), on an “opt-out” basis, in Walter Hugh Merricks CBE v Mastercard Incorporated &...more
Winds of change are blowing through Europe’s national courts, beginning with a new antitrust damages Directive requiring changes in national laws to facilitate private enforcement of competition law. This step was a major...more
On 1 October 2015 the UK introduced a new class action regime for breaches of competition law (specifically cartel conduct or abuse of dominant position) permitting collective proceedings for damages claims which will be...more
The UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) entered into force on 1 October. As well as amending a number of aspects of consumer protection law, the CRA implements sweeping reforms of the private competition litigation regime in...more
The U.K.’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has issued a ‘government response’ or plan for reform indicating that the government will move forward with a number of substantial changes to the U.K.’s...more