Despite the significant passage of time since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates v. Allstate Insurance, courts continue to wrestle with whether state statutory class action bars are...more
As we reported earlier this year in Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663, 672 (2016), the Supreme Court held that a putative class action does not become moot when a defendant merely offers a named plaintiff full...more
In Campbell-Ewald v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 (Jan. 20, 2016), the Supreme Court resolved a split among courts and held that an unaccepted settlement offer of complete individual relief does not moot the plaintiff’s lawsuit. ...more
As we have noted in prior posts, many states require courts to bifurcate punitive damages trials upon the defendant’s request. The question therefore arises whether a federal court sitting in diversity must or, at least...more
Late in June, in Texas Dept. of Housing v. Inclusive Communities, No. 13–1371 (U.S. June 25, 2015), the U.S. Supreme Court ended years of debate by embracing a “disparate impact” claim against a housing authority under the...more
Almost three decades ago, the U.S. Supreme Court explained that state courts had to extend fundamental due process protections to absent class action members. Now, a new petition for certiorari review presents the Court with...more