Knowmore Legal Service Class Action

About the Knowmore Legal Service Class Action

Are you a survivor of sexual abuse who received compensation from the National Redress Scheme and were advised by Knowmore Legal Service? Survivors of sexual abuse who received legal advice from Knowmore Legal Service and secured compensation through the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse may have been short-changed with an unfair settlement.

Arnold Thomas & Becker have launched a class action for survivors of institutional sexual abuse who received compensation from the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse and were advised by Knowmore Legal Service.

If you were advised by Knowmore Legal Service, we encourage you to contact us and speak to one of our experienced abuse lawyers urgently to see how we can help you secure your full entitlements. You may be entitled to compensation in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

The The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse provides redress to survivors primarily in the form of a Redress Payment capped at a maximum of $150,000.

From 2015, there was substantial legislative reform across Australia, which greatly improved the Common Law damages claims of survivors. The size of Common Law damages awards and settlement sums also grew substantially, in many cases to over $1,000,000.

In order to accept a Redress Payment, a claimant must release the institutions responsible for their abuse from civil liability, including from a Common Law damages claim.

Knowmore Legal Service failed to ensure its clients received adequate advice about their potential Common Law damages claims before accepting a National Redress Scheme payment and in doing so, extinguished their Common Law damages claim.

 

Group members

This class action has been issued in the Supreme Court of Victoria on behalf of all group members across Australia who:

  1. suffered child sexual abuse and related abuse caused by the acts or omissions of one or more of the Institutions, resulting in personal injury;
  2. in the period from 1 July 2018, retained Knowmore Legal Service to provide legal advice in relation to the National Redress Scheme;
  3. as part of the National Redress Scheme, released from liability one or more of the Institutions whose acts or omissions caused their personal injury;
  4. before releasing one or more of the Institutions as part of the National Redress Scheme, did not receive current advice from Knowmore Legal Service or another lawyer in relation to:
    a) the prospects of success of any common law claim from which the client may be releasing one or more of the Institutions;
    b) the estimated quantum of damages the client could obtain from one or more of the Institutions via common law action;
    c) the likely comparative outcomes and processes between a National Redress Scheme Claim and a common law claim.

 

Contact us

For further information, group members can contact Arnold Thomas & Becker via the form below or by:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 03 9614 1433

Post: 573 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000

 

Knowmore Class Action FAQs

What is the role and responsibility of the lead plaintiff in the Knowmore Class Action?

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 other 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 that affect group members’ claims.

Who is the law firm acting for the lead plaintiff?

The law firm acting for the lead plaintiff is Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers (“ATB”).

Are there currently any other class actions that involve Knowmore?

As at 5 July 2024, ATB is not aware of any other class actions that involve claims for loss and damage as a result of the failures of Knowmore.

Is this class action funded by a litigation funder?

No.

How will legal costs be charged by Arnold Thomas & Becker?

ATB is acting in the Knowmore Class Action on a ‘No Win, No Fee’ basis. This means that ATB will only recover its legal costs if the class action is successful, either by way of payment made by the Defendant/s following a settlement or successful Court trial.

ATB’s fees are charged based on an hourly rates for the legal work it performs and the expenses it funds, such as expert reports and Court fees, are recoverable at cost.

Group members are not required to pay any money up-front in order to be involved in the case or to receive any compensation that they are entitled to from it.

If the class action is successful, because ATB is acting on a conditional-fee basis, it is entitled to charge an uplift fee of 25% of its ordinary fees. This is calculated as a percentage of the fees charged for the work performed. It is not a percentage of any of the compensation which is recovered. ATB will seek the Court’s approval of its fees, including this uplift fee, in any application seeking approval of a settlement or distribution of compensation from the class action. If compensation is payable to group members, the Plaintiff will seek an order from the Court for some of this compensation to pay for a share of the legal costs incurred in running the class action.

What was the service provided by Knowmore Legal Service?

From 1 July 2018 and ongoing, Knowmore Legal Service provided legal services to their clients, including:

  1. the provision of legal advice in relation to the National Redress Scheme generally;
  2. assistance in preparing an application to the National Redress Scheme;
  3. assistance in preparing submissions to the National Redress Scheme;
  4. the provision of legal advice in relation to any offer of redress made under the National Redress Scheme, including the consequences of accepting or declining an offer; and
  5. communicating with the National Redress Scheme and third parties on behalf of the client.

 

 

Key Documents

Download Writ and Statement of Claim