Supreme Court Closes CAFA Loophole in Standard Fire v. Knowles
Plaintiff’s counsel often employ a range of strategic tactics to defeat diversity jurisdiction because they view federal court as an unfavorable forum. One such tactic is to challenge the amount in controversy—a key...more
Generally, a case is not removable to federal court “more than one year after commencement of [an] action.” However, a defendant may remove a case to federal court after the one-year deadline if it can demonstrate the...more
This month’s key California employment law cases are two decisions from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Chavez v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 888 F.3d 413 (9th Cir. 2018) - Summary: Amount in controversy for federal...more
Congress passed the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (“CAFA”) with the hope of preventing abuse in class action lawsuits. CAFA assigns jurisdiction to federal courts over class actions where: (i) the aggregate amount in...more
Michigan district courts have exclusive subject-matter jurisdiction over civil actions when the “amount in controversy” does not exceed $25,000. So what happens if a plaintiff files a lawsuit in district court seeking damages...more
In a boon to defendants seeking to remove cases to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”), the Ninth Circuit has overturned a rule requiring defendants to show to a “legal certainty” that the...more
In Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a class-action plaintiff may not avoid the effect of the federal Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) by “stipulating” he will not seek damages in excess of...more
The U.S. Supreme Court, in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles, resolved the debate between the plaintiffs’ bar and defense bar regarding whether a class representative’s stipulation that damages would not exceed $5...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles confirms that a plaintiff cannot avoid federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”) by stipulating that the class will seek less...more
The U.S. Supreme Court resoundingly signaled an end to a form of statutory manipulation in the class action arena Tuesday. A unanimous court held that named plaintiffs in class actions may not defeat federal removal...more
The U.S. Supreme Court holds in a 9–0 decision that class action plaintiffs cannot promise to limit damages in an effort to remain below the Class Action Fairness Act's $5 million federal jurisdictional threshold....more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued its first decision reviewing the scope of removal jurisdiction under the federal Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA). In Knowles v. Standard Fire Insurance Co., No. 11-1450 (U.S.), the...more
In a unanimous decision issued on March 19, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the named plaintiff in a proposed class action lawsuit cannot defeat federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA or the...more
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles, 568 U.S. __, No. 11-1450, 2013 WL 1104735 (Mar. 19, 2013), that plaintiffs attempting to bring a class action lawsuit cannot escape federal...more
On March 19, 2013, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles barring class action plaintiffs from using stipulations that limit the amount in controversy to avoid...more
A unanimous decision by the United States Supreme Court has restored the integrity of the Class Action Fairness Act, or CAFA. At issue in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles was the transparent attempt by a named plaintiff...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has considered a number of important issues affecting class action litigation over the last few terms, and it handed another victory to class action defendants yesterday. In Standard Fire Insurance...more
The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles that plaintiffs bringing class actions cannot avoid federal jurisdiction by representing that the class will seek less than $5 million in...more
On March 19, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Standard Fire Insurance v. Knowles, a short, narrow, and unanimous opinion addressing removal of class actions to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act...more
The Supreme Court unanimously held yesterday in Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles , 2013 WL 1104735, that a damages - limiting stipulation by the named plaintiff in a putative class action is not binding on absent class...more
A unanimous United States Supreme Court has now ruled that self-appointed would-be class representatives cannot defeat Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) removal by simply purporting to limit the damage claims of class members...more
Editors’ Note: This post is a joint submission to this blog and rennerclassactions.com. In The Standard Fire Insurance Co.v. Knowles, No. 11-1450, a unanimous decision yesterday written by Justice Breyer, the Supreme...more
The U.S. Supreme Court resoundingly signaled an end to a form of statutory manipulation in the class action arena Tuesday. A unanimous Court held that named plaintiffs in class actions may not defeat federal removal...more
The Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated opinion today in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles, 568 U.S. __ (2013), holding unanimously that a class action plaintiff cannot avoid removal to federal court under the...more
In its first opinion interpreting the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously held that a class representative cannot prevent removal of a class action from state to federal court by...more