Assess claims under a Victorian group-proceeding distribution
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Apply the court-approved scheme to each registered claim, calculate the entitlement by the scheme's formula, flag missing evidence or a conflict, and show any section 33ZDA percentage in the orders as a line the lawyer must check. Do not approve a claim.
- What the lawyer must review
- Decide every flagged claim and check a sample of the calculations
- Confirm the settlement is approved under section 33V and that any group costs order is the one in the orders
- Approve the entitlement schedule before payment
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Supreme Court of Victoria, group proceedings
Produce. A claim-by-claim worksheet against the approved scheme, with flags and no payment approval.
Have ready. Approved scheme and orders; Registration documents for each claim; Any section 33ZDA order.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The orders approve a scheme and a group costs percentage. The worksheet applies the scheme formula and shows the percentage as a separate line. Claims with a missing medical record are flagged. Nothing is marked for payment.
Stop and hand it back when
- There is no approval order under section 33V.
- The worksheet deducts a percentage that is not in the orders.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Apply the court-approved scheme to each registered claim, calculate the entitlement by the scheme's formula, flag missing evidence or a conflict, and show any section 33ZDA percentage in the orders as a line the lawyer must check. Do not approve a claim. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Section 33V: a group proceeding may not be settled or discontinued without the Court's approval. The Court may make orders about distribution of money paid under the settlement.
- Use only the approved scheme. Do not invent eligibility criteria.
- Section 33ZDA lets the Court order that legal costs be a percentage of the amount recovered, shared among the plaintiff and group members. It has effect despite the Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria). Apply a percentage only if the orders contain it.
- Practice Note SC GEN 10 section 16: settlement approval is by summons, and notice to group members is required unless the Court is satisfied it is just to proceed without it.
Sources
- Supreme Court Act 1986 (Vic) s 33V, settlement and discontinuance · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court Act 1986 (Vic) s 33ZDA, group costs orders · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of Victoria: Practice Note SC GEN 10, conduct of group proceedings · 2026-10-23
A percentage that is not in the orders is not deducted.
Practice Note SC GEN 25 applies to material filed in the Supreme Court for the approval. The schedule sent for payment is checked by the lawyer.