As a recent Ninth Circuit decision demonstrates, although substantial time, effort, and briefing may be spent litigating issues in a removed federal putative class action, parties should be prepared for a round two of their...more
On May 13, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the remand of a wage and hour class action lawsuit filed in California state court based on the home state exception to the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA). In its...more
The Eleventh Circuit recently examined the application of the $5 million amount-in-controversy requirement under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) to disputes over life insurance premiums and policies. It concluded that...more
1/9/2020
/ Amount in Controversy ,
Breach of Contract ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Insurance Products ,
Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Good Faith ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Life Insurance ,
Policy Terms ,
Premiums ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Reinstatement ,
Removal
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently underscored that removal practice under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) differs in some important respects from traditional removal practice in non-CAFA cases. It did so...more
10/30/2019
/ Amount in Controversy ,
Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Dart Cherokee Basin Operating Co. v. Owens ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Marriott ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Remand ,
Removal ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Sua Sponte ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements
The Ninth Circuit vacated a remand order implicating the local and home-state controversy exceptions to CAFA jurisdiction in a putative class action by former California resident employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for...more
11/6/2018
/ CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Class Members ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Franchises ,
Home State Exception ,
Jurisdiction ,
Kentucky Fried Chicken ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Remand ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vacated ,
Wage and Hour
Home Depot filed a certiorari petition in the United States Supreme Court aimed at closing an emerging loophole in CAFA jurisprudence in various circuits. According to the petition, some circuits have “narrowly construed...more
On January 31, President Trump announced that Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals would be nominated for the United States Supreme Court. We took a look at those opinions authored by Judge Gorsuch on the...more
2/6/2017
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Article III ,
Attorney General ,
BP ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
FRCP 23(b)(2) ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Justice Scalia ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
Nominations ,
SCOTUS ,
Sherman Act ,
Standing ,
Trump Administration
On November 22, the Eleventh Circuit clarified that Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) jurisdiction is not eliminated when the class claims are dismissed before the class is certified.
The plaintiff, an Alabama trucking...more
12/7/2016
/ Article III ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Jurisdiction ,
Oil & Gas ,
Settlement ,
Standing ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trucking Industry
Lawyers seeking to settle class actions pending in federal court by dismissing and refiling in state court beware! In two recent orders, a federal judge in the Western District of Arkansas ruled that the attorneys...more
In Pazol v. Tough Mudder Inc., No. 15-1640, — F.3d —-, 2016 WL 1638045 (1st Cir. Apr. 26, 2016), the First Circuit analyzed the “reasonable probability” standard that a defendant must satisfy to support CAFA’s $5 million...more
Food for Thought is a review of significant court decisions affecting the food, beverage, dietary supplements and personal care products industry. Although many cases in this edition focus on class certification, others...more
2/15/2016
/ Ascertainable Class ,
CAFA ,
Chobani Inc ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
ConAgra ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food Contamination ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
FRCP 23(b)(3) ,
Natural Products ,
Ocean Spray ,
Organic ,
Preemption ,
Standing
On April 7, 2014, the Supreme Court accepted certiorari review in Dart Cherokee Basin Operating Company LLC v. Owens, No. 13-719, to resolve a circuit split regarding whether the Class Action Fairness Act requires a removing...more
The Supreme Court issued the second decision this term that will impact class action law. The issue in Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles, No. 11-1450 (March 19, 2013) concerned the common practice of a plaintiff who files a...more