Southern Response has been accused of misleading its customers. If successful, it was estimated the class action could cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars. An "opt-in" class action, currently the legal norm, was favoured by Southern Response. The Court of Appeal agreed last year that the class action could be "opt-out", which Southern Response appealed at the Supreme Court. Southern Response has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 17, 2020 19:18 UTC