The efficiency of the US class action regime hinges upon a core procedural mechanism: the class representative. By permitting a large group of plaintiffs with typically modest claims to rely on a small subset of...more
Interpreting Bristol-Myers : Are Unnamed Members of Nationwide Class Actions ‘Parties’? If So, When? In 2017, the Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California (BMS), holding that a...more
Class actions typically involve a proposed class of plaintiffs seeking recovery from the same defendant on similar grounds. But that is not the only animal in the class action corral. Rule 23 makes this clear in its very...more
In 1940, Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940), established the basic constitutional foundation for the class action device: Members of a class who are not parties to the litigation may only be bound by a judgment in the...more