- The 9th Circuit has held that settlement of a plaintiff’s individual claims moots the appeal of an order denying class certification, unless the settlement agreement specifically preserves the plaintiff’s personal stake in...more
KEITH MANUFACTURING CO. v. BUTTERFIELD - Before Taranto, Clevenger, and Hughes. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Summary: A voluntary dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(a)...more
The Ninth Circuit recently clarified what standard applies when a party seeks relief from judgment under Rule 60(b). In so doing, the court allowed two plaintiffs who had previously voluntarily dismissed their class action...more
From the standpoint of class action practice, 2017 was as important for what did not happen as for what did. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the 2017 class action scorecard, with a look forward to how the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The fourth and final key trend from our 14th Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report involves rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. ...more
The 2016-17 Supreme Court term was truly a mixed bag for employers. The Court limited presidential power, reined in the appellate courts’ authority to review and overturn trial court decisions regarding EEOC subpoenas,...more
Despite being short one justice for much of the year, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down multiple significant decisions this past term that can unsettle long-standing legal understandings in multiple technology fields. These...more
In April, we reported on the oral argument in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, a Supreme Court case addressing whether putative class members may obtain appellate review of orders denying class certification by voluntarily...more
I recently had the privilege of serving as vice chair for this year’s Defense Research Institute (DRI) Class Action Seminar. As I’ve done in years past, here are some highlights from the first day’s programming...more
During what many have labeled a “quiet Term,” the U.S. Supreme Court, working with only eight justices for most of the session, still delivered at least 30 rulings of particular interest to business and industry. These...more
This month’s key California employment law cases involve civil procedure (class and representative actions) and wage and hour (retaliation) issues....more
The Xbox 360 is designed for gaming. Appellate litigation, gamers learned, is not. On behalf of a putative class of purchasers of the Xbox 360, a group of gamers brought suit alleging a defect with the consoles. After the...more
Recently, the Supreme Court in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, 137 S. Ct. 1702 (2017), held that the plaintiff in a putative class action involving Xbox 360 game consoles could not appeal from the District Court’s denial of class...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While it always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, the last few months have seen an unprecedented number of changes. June 2017 was no different, with...more
On June 12th, the Supreme Court issued its unsurprising decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, addressing a relatively recent twist concerning the appealability of orders denying class certification. The case resulted in...more
This year’s Supreme Court term may be more memorable for the intrigue and political drama taking place outside the Court than the import of the decisions the Court issued. On April 10, 2017, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth...more
The reality of class action litigation is that what is supposed to be the court’s preliminary decision of whether to certify a case as a class action is often the end of the litigation. In many cases, plaintiffs will not...more
In a victory for class action defendants, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker puts an end to plaintiffs' manufactured appeals as of right from denials of class certification. The Court's...more
On June 12, 2017, the United States Supreme Court, in an opinion authored by Justice Ginsburg, held that “[f]ederal courts of appeals lack jurisdiction under [28 U.S.C.] § 1291 to review an order denying class certification...more
The Supreme Court recently decided a case involving an Xbox 360, although the issue before them had nothing in particular to do with the video game system itself. It got me wondering, however, how many justices would you...more
Takeaway: The United States Supreme Court has rejected a tactic used by the plaintiffs’ bar to obtain appellate court review of an order denying class certification despite a settlement of the named plaintiffs’ claims....more
Facts - On June 12, 2017, in Microsoft Corporation v. Baker, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that federal courts of appeals lack jurisdiction to review orders striking class allegations after the named plaintiffs...more
On June 12, 2017, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker. Baker resolves a Circuit split concerning whether a plaintiff, after losing a class certification battle, can effectively manufacture...more
The Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Justice Ginsburg, has held that 28 U.S.C. § 1291 does not confer appellate jurisdiction over an otherwise interlocutory order on class certification following plaintiffs’ voluntary...more
A group of plaintiffs hoped to hit the reset button on the Ninth Circuit’s denial of their Rule 23(f) petition to appeal from an order striking class allegations in their case against Microsoft, the maker of the popular Xbox...more