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31 May 2023
Issue: 8027 / Categories: Legal News , Collective action , Competition
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Opt-out giant hits bump in the road

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has issued its latest ruling in the mega-claim, Merricks v Mastercard Incorporated & ors.

Both the class representative and Mastercard had applied to appeal elements of the CAT’s judgment on preliminary issues—the class representative’s appeal relating to limitation, while Mastercard’s appeal related to exemptibility. Handing down judgment in Merricks v Mastercard [2023] CAT 33 last week, however, the CAT dismissed both applications for permission to appeal.

Walter Merricks, a former financial services ombudsman, is acting as class representative on behalf of 46 million customers in collective proceedings against Mastercard over multilateral interchange fees, in a claim valued at more than £16bn. The class action, launched in 2016 by Merricks, became the first to be granted an ‘opt-out’ collective proceeding order (everyone included unless specifically excluded), in 2021.

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

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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