In July 2024, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of class certification for a group of Chinese investors who were allegedly duped into entering a Ponzi-like investment scheme to purchase two dozen golf courses and other...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As detailed in our 2020 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, 2019 was an interesting year for employers in terms of class certification rulings. Plaintiffs achieved the highest numbers of initial...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In Ituah, et al. v. Austin State Hospital, a federal magistrate judge in Texas recently recommended the denial of a motion for class certification brought by patients alleging disability discrimination...more
Mirror, mirror on the class, are damages what you really asked? The Eleventh Circuit reversed an interlocutory order certifying an injunction class, rejecting the plaintiffs’ ploy “to lop off all the damages-based warts...more
Takeaway: Injunctive relief is a forward-looking remedy. A damages award compensates for past harm. This dichotomy lies at the heart of the difference between a Rule 23(b)(2) injunctive relief class and a Rule 23(b)(3)...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As our 2019 Workplace Class Action Report describes, 2018 was quite an interesting year for employers in terms of class certification rulings. ...more
The saying goes, knowledge equals power. For plaintiffs asserting claims for injunctive relief on behalf of putative classes, however, the Mott’s Apple Juice case demonstrates just the opposite....more
This edition focuses on rulings issued between February 16, 2018, and June 15, 2018. In this issue, we cover three decisions granting motions to strike/dismiss class claims, five decisions denying such motions, 27 decisions...more
The Third Circuit’s new opinion on class certification issues in Mielo v. Steak ‘N Shake Operations, Inc., No. 17-2678 (3d Cir. July 26, 2018) provides helpful guidance for district courts and class action lawyers on both...more
Last week the Sixth Circuit took a big step to extend its reputation as one of the most class-friendly circuits in the country. In Martin v. Behr Dayton Thermal Prods. LLC, Judge Jane Stranch, writing for a unanimous panel,...more
The amendment of Wis. Stat. section 803.08, which takes effect July 1, 2018, modernizes and brings needed clarity to class action practice in Wisconsin state courts. Precedent from the federal courts should help guide...more
A New Jersey district court denied certification to a putative class of Tropicana orange juice purchasers from “Members Only” or “Loyalty Card” stores in California, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. Plaintiffs alleged...more
Consumer class action litigation—often accusing the defendant company of deceiving its customers—strikes at the heart of a company’s reputation, goodwill, and brand—all of which are often built over the course of many years...more
Plaintiff’s putative class action alleged that defendant Mott’s violated FDA regulations and California’s Sherman Law and Unfair Competition Law when it labeled and sold its 100 percent apple juice with the label “No Sugar...more
“A class action that ‘seeks only worthless benefits for the class’ and ‘yields [only] fees for class counsel’ is ‘no better than a racket’ and ‘should be dismissed out of hand.’” In re Subway Footlong Sandwich Mktg. & Sales...more
An Illinois district court recently denied certification, finding that the putative nationwide class failed the commonality and numerosity prongs of Rule 23(a) and that injunctive relief was not available under Rule 23(b)(2)...more
On April 7, 2017, the Northern District of California denied class certification to two proposed classes of wholesalers in ABC Distributing, Inc. v. Living Essentials LLC, Case No. 15-cv-02064 NC (N.D. Cal.), a secondary-line...more
The Northern District of California recently renewed hope in a minor league baseball player class action wage dispute by granting the plaintiffs class certification after they narrowed the class. The court had previously...more
The Ninth Circuit held that a magistrate judge was not required to obtain the consent of absent class members to approve a settlement in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) case and to enter a final judgment after...more
On December 22, 2016, a federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of California denied certification of three proposed classes of statewide consumers who purchased or leased certain Ford Fusion or Ford Focus...more
In Lanovaz v. Twinings North America, Inc., Judge Whyte of the Northern District of California recently decided that the plaintiff lacked standing to pursue injunctive relief, and granted summary judgment for defendant...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: African American pipefitters filed a class action against their labor union based on its allegedly discriminatory system for referring jobs to union members. Despite the fact that third-party employers...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Eighth Circuit found that a class action could not be sustained in an environmental pollution case because “the class lacks the requisite commonality and cohesiveness to satisfy Rule 23.”...more
The Southern District of California decertified a nationwide consumer product class due to material differences between the state laws applicable to the claims. The plaintiff in Czuchaj v. Conair Corp. alleged a defect in...more
The Ninth Circuit affirmed an order denying class certification in a case involving allegations that a mortgage servicer wronged borrowers through its implementation of the federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)....more