A recent Seventh Circuit decision makes an important point about how the principle that a court generally need not resolve the merits to decide class certification is bilateral – it applies to both affirmative claims and...more
In True Health Chiropractic Inc., et al. v. McKesson Corp., et al., the Northern District of California held that it was divested of jurisdiction by the Hobbs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2342, and thus could not reconsider the validity...more
Recently, the Northern District of California joined other courts in more closely scrutinizing class certification motions in TCPA cases. In a case involving an automated phone call by a loan servicer regarding Plaintiff’s...more
The Northern District of Illinois recently clarified that a “revocation class” that defines a putative class as those having made “a request to stop calling [their] number” does not satisfy Rule 23(b)(3)’s predominance...more
Just when you thought litigating Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class actions was as unsafe as it could get for defendants, the Ninth Circuit said, “Not so fast.” In McKesson v. True Health, two chiropractic...more
Certification in a TCPA class action almost always turns on whether the issue of consent can be determined by common proof. But every once in a while, a class representative is found to be inadequate based on their close ties...more
Well now I’ve seen everything. Yep. Everything. Yesterday a court in Florida certified a TCPA class action against Pizza Hut and some of its marketing partners/friends/afilliates, whatever, that’s not the point. Because...more
TCPA cases often involve brightly-lit esoteric legal issues that attract law nerd moths like me from all corners. Last week I explored one way intervention, and I had so much fun that this week I’d like to ruminate on the...more
CitiGroup, Inc. (“Citi”) just defeated certification in a massive class action in the consumer-friendly Northern District of Illinois in the case of Tomeo v. CitiGroup, Inc., No. 13-C-4046, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166117 (N.D....more
TCPAland is so full of interesting little stories. I know from first hand experience that class counsel commonly use an unpleasant little clause to keep their would-be class representatives from settling cases...more
Class actions under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) are rarely, if ever, certified in the debt collection context outside of highly-unique circumstances. So today’s decision in Frederick Luster v. Green Tree...more
Call it a silver lining, but the Ninth Circuit just telegraphed a bit of what we might see in the big Marks v. Crunch appeal in what was otherwise a not-so-great opinion reversing the denial of class certification in a...more
In Billy Ginwright v. Exeter Finance Corp., No. 8:16-cv-565-TDC, ECF No. 107, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 194739, 2017 WL 5716756 (D. Md. Nov. 28, 2017), a federal district court recently denied Plaintiff’s motion to certify a...more
Identifying potential class members is not an issue in most employment cases, as the employer likely has any number of employment records for each of the claimants, including personnel files, electronic data, tax forms, time...more
Happy New Year! While we acknowledge that it’s nearly summer now, this issue of Roundup includes case highlights from the first quarter of 2017. The year kicked off with more activity than the last quarter of 2016, with cases...more
Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Spokeo Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540, 1549 (2016) – which held that Article III standing requires a concrete injury, even when an injury has otherwise been established...more
Gannon v. Network Telephone Services, Inc., No. 13-56813 (9th Cir. Jan. 12, 2016) In a 3 paragraph unpublished opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the trial court’s denial of plaintiff’s...more
Manatt Defeats Motion for Class Certification in TCPA Complaint Against Network Telephone Services - A team of Manatt litigators secured a major victory for Network Telephone Services, Inc., on Jan. 12, 2016, in the U.S....more
It has been a busy summer for federal appellate courts deciding class action issues. Amidst all the sound and fury, this summer's decisions so far highlight two splits among the federal circuits, while also diminishing if...more
This is the third edition of The Class Action Chronicle, a quarterly publication that provides an analysis of recent class action trends, along with a summary of class certification and Class Action Fairness Act rulings...more