You may be a group member if, during the period between 7 February 2022 and 7 November 2022 (inclusive), you acquired (whether by yourself or through an agent or trustee) through any trading platform:

(a) shares in James Hardie as listed on the Australian Stock Exchange;

(b) American Depositary Receipts in James Hardie as listed on the New York Stock Exchange; or

(c) long exposure to James Hardie shares by entering into equity swap confirmations in respect of James Hardie shares.

Group members are alleged to have suffered loss and damage as a consequence of the case pleaded against James Hardie. If you are unsure about whether you are a group member, please contact Echo Law via email at enquiries@echolaw.com.au or by telephone on 1800 571 241 or +61 3 7046 3565.

The Supreme Court of Victoria ordered group members were to register their interest in the James Hardie Shareholder Class Action by 4pm (AEDT) on 10 December 2025 (Registration Deadline). The Registration Deadline has now passed.

Group members who registered their claims before 4pm (AEDT) 10 December 2025 will remain eligible to share in any settlement reached before the end of the first day of trial.

If you have already registered your interest in the class action, or you have previously opted out of the class action, there is nothing further you need to do at this stage.

If you did not register your interest in the proceeding by 4:00pm (AEDT) on 10 December 2025 you may not be eligible to receive any monetary compensation arising from any settlement reached between the parties prior to the end of the first day of trial.

You are considered an unregistered group member and you will be bound by any resolution of the class action which means you will not be permitted to bring any future claim related to the subject matter of the James Hardie Shareholder Class Action.

Unregistered group members can still register their interest in the class action. If the class action does not settle before the end of the first day of trial, unregistered group members may be given an opportunity to participate in any future settlement of the class action. Registering now means we can notify you of important updates about future participation.

However, because the Registration Deadline has now passed, registering now does not mean you will be eligible to receive any payment if there is a settlement before the end of the first day of trial. If a settlement is reached, we will make the Court aware of any late registrations, and reasons provided for registering late, and the Court will ultimately determine your eligibility.

You can register here.

The James Hardie class action is being run on an open class basis. This means that anyone who meets the eligibility criteria (known as a Group Member), is automatically included in the class action, regardless of whether they knew about the claim beforehand.

Group members have the right to cease being a group member by ‘opting out’ of a class action (if they wish to do so). This process is facilitated by the Court and is called the ‘Opt Out Process’.

The Supreme Court of Victoria ordered that group members in the James Hardie class action were to opt out by 4pm 26 July 2024. The deadline to opt out of the proceeding has now passed.

In order to register, group members will be asked to provide:

a) their name and contact details;

b) details of the owner of the securities (if the owner is different to the name of the person registering, for example you bought shares on behalf of another person or on behalf of a self-managed superannuation fund); and

c) information about all shares they acquired and disposed of in James Hardie between 7 February 2022 and 7 November 2022 (inclusive).

No. If you have already registered your claim with Echo Law then there is nothing further you need to do at this stage.

‍If you are unsure whether you have registered or provided complete details, please contact Echo Law via email at enquiries@echolaw.com.au or by telephone on 1800 571 241 or +61 3 7046 3565.

Yes. If you acquired James Hardie securities between 7 February 2022 and 7 November 2022 (inclusive) you can register for the James Hardie Class Action even if you no longer hold those securities.

However, because the Registration Deadline has now passed, registering now does not mean you will be eligible to receive any payment if there is a settlement before the end of the first day of trial. If a settlement is reached, we will make the Court aware of any late registrations, and reasons provided for registering late, and the Court will ultimately determine your eligibility.

Group members will never have to pay any costs out of their own pocket to participate in this class action – regardless of whether the class action is successful or unsuccessful.

The upfront costs of the class action are being paid in the first instance by litigation funder CASL Funder Pty Ltd (CASL) pursuant to an agreement it has with Echo Law.

If the class action is successful, then legal costs payable to Echo Law (and CASL) will be deducted from the amount of compensation recovered before it is distributed to individual group members.

A Group Costs Order (GCO) was made in this proceeding on 11 April 2024, at a rate of 27.5% (including GST). This means that if the class action is successful, Echo Law will receive payment for its fees and expenses calculated at 27.5% (including GST) of any settlement sum or award of damages. Echo Law will then pay a portion of this fee to CASL – there is no additional funding fee.

The Court has the power to adjust this percentage upon any settlement or award of damages. This means that if the class action is successful, group members will receive at least 72.5% of any overall settlement or judgement sum.

To enable Echo Law to provide its legal services and pay for any expenses over the course of the James Hardie Group Proceeding, Echo Law has an agreement in place with a litigation funder, CASL Funder Pty Ltd (CASL). Under the agreement, CASL does not seek to create a funding relationship directly with the Representative Plaintiff or Group Members or impose any separate litigation funding charge.

CASL is paid for its funding of the James Hardie Class Action by Echo Law from any GCO fee.

CASL is made up of one of the most experienced litigation finance teams in Australia. You can read more about CASL here.

A Group Costs Order (GCO) is an order that can be made by the Supreme Court of Victoria, which means that the legal costs payable to the law practice representing the group members be calculated as a percentage of any award or settlement that may be recovered in the proceeding. A GCO involves a single costs deduction from the total amount of compensation recovered.

On 11 April 2024, a GCO was made in the James Hardie Class Action at a rate of 27.5% (including GST). This means that if the class action is successful, Echo Law will receive payment for its fees and expenses calculated at no more than 27.5% (including GST) of any settlement sum or award of damages. The payment of legal costs will be deducted from the total sum before the compensation is distributed to individual group members.

If the class action is successful, group members in the James Hardie Class action will receive at least 72.5% of any overall settlement sum or award of damages. The Court retains the power to adjust the GCO rate at any time over the course of the proceedings, including following a successful outcome, to ensure that the legal costs deducted from the compensation are fair and reasonable.