RMIF to present case for Group Actions at OFT

‘It would greatly benefit businesses that belong to membership organizations, if those bodies could act on their behalf via Group Class Actions,’ according to Alec Murray, chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF), commenting on upcoming Office of Fair Trading (OFT) hearings taking place on Monday (24 September 2007).

The RMIF will be advocating the need for trade bodies to be able to undertake ‘Group Class Actions’ at the hearing.

The RMIF hopes that the rules will be changed so that duly authorized bodies such as trade associations will be able to act in their own name on behalf of their members.

At present, a named individual member of a UK trade body must instigate legal proceedings within a group action, albeit with the backing and support of other identified members, and of their trade association.

Murray added: ‘We will use the hearing to explain why trade bodies such as ours should be permitted to bring follow-on and stand-alone actions on behalf of their members.’