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12 December 2022
Issue: 8007 / Categories: Legal News , Collective action , Competition , Compensation
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Mass campaign against Mastercard

Representatives for Walter Merricks’s £17bn ‘opt-out’ claim against Mastercard have launched the biggest public noticing campaign in legal history.

A £600,000 print and digital advertising campaign targeting national, regional and social media channels will inform consumers of their rights under the claim, with about 46 million people potentially eligible for a pay-out of up to £300 each. The campaign launched last week, following the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of Mastercard’s final challenge to certification of collective proceedings, in Mastercard v Merricks [2022] EWCA Civ 1568.

The case, which is based on interchange fees paid by businesses when consumers paid by card, is the first to be brought under the collective action regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Everyone within the scope of the claim is automatically included unless they specifically opt out.

Former financial ombudsman Merricks said: ‘Even if you didn’t use a Mastercard and just paid for things by cash, cheque or a different card, you can still benefit from my claim.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
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