How will you bring the claim and what documents will you need to provide?

We are at a very early stage of the claim, where we are still gathering information and evidence.

If the defendants defend the claims and we need to commence court proceedings, there are mechanisms available to help efficiently progress large group actions involving a large number of related claims. In particular, it is possible to ask the Court to grant a Group Litigation Order, which allows for claims with common/related issues to be heard and managed together rather than on an individual basis.

While we will not hesitate to initiate court proceedings when appropriate to achieve our clients’ aims, we will also explore all possible ways of achieving your objectives, including mediation or some other alternative dispute resolution procedure, if appropriate and where your opponents agree to engage.

At this stage it is too early to say definitively what documents you may need to provide in support of your claim. It is likely that some key issues can be dealt with on a group basis with the assistance of appropriate expert evidence.

However, among others, we may request your documents that evidence any losses you claim to have suffered. This may include, for example:

• Proof of ownership of the affected property rights;
• Evidence of loss of earnings of your business, such as your accounts;
• Evidence of where your use/enjoyment of property or the rivers have been affected; and/or
• Vet invoices.