Class actions have long been difficult to certify in fraud cases. But a recent district court decision in California takes a new approach that would make class certification in fraud cases the norm. That decision is now on...more
The en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's recent watershed decision in Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative Inc. v. Bumble Bee Foods LLC established several significant benchmarks for determining class...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit recently weighed in on the effect of uninjured class members on class certification—decertifying three classes in Olean Wholesale Grocery Coop. v. Bee Foods LLC. Olean concerned...more
Takeaway: We have posted a number of articles about whether Rule 23’s predominance requirement can be satisfied when a proposed class includes uninjured class members. See, e.g., D.C. Circuit denies class certification...more
The Ninth Circuit approved use of statistical analysis that relies on averaging but reversed class certification because the district court failed to resolve whether more than a de minimis number of putative class members...more
In Hirsch v. USHealth Advisors, LLC, Judge Pittman, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, denied Aaron Hirsch’s (“Plaintiff”) Motion for Class Certification, which was based on allegations...more
Plaintiffs seeking class action treatment in West Virginia state court may find a less hospitable environment in the wake of a recent decision. In State ex rel. Surnaik Holdings of WV, LLC v. Bedell, the Supreme Court of...more
Takeaway: In a prior post, we reported on a Central District of California decision granting an early motion to strike class allegations. Don’t miss the chance to strike out class actions (Feb. 27, 2019). But on appeal,...more
On July 23, 2020, Judge Paul A. Englemayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a motion to certify a proposed class of direct purchasers of aluminum in a decision that may signal a trend...more
On April 22, 2020, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded an order certifying a class of direct purchaser plaintiffs in In re: Lamictal Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, holding that the district court...more
The application of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, 137 S. Ct. 1773 (2017), to class actions has led to much confusion and an ever-widening circuit split....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: For nearly a decade, the aftershocks of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes have curtailed the success of plaintiffs attempting to certify class discrimination claims in...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 Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) is a federal statute that restricts how businesses employ telemarketing efforts, like soliciting text messages or prerecorded voice messages. The law often requires...more
About a year ago, I observed that the First Circuit in In re Asacol Antitrust Litigation had constrained plaintiffs’ ability to rely on affidavits to prove injury-in-fact. In so doing, the First Circuit substantially...more
On August 16, 2019, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a denial of class certification to a proposed class of shippers seeking to recover damages from Class 1 railroads for an alleged price-fixing conspiracy. The...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 5, 2019, the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion in NEI Contr. & Eng’g, Inc. v. Hanson Aggregates Pac. Sw., Inc., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 16885 (9th Cir. June 5, 2019), upholding the district court’s...more
• En banc 9th Circuit affirmed a $210 million settlement in multidistrict litigation against Hyundai and Kia relating to their alleged misrepresentations about the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, reversing the decision of...more
Federal Rule 23(c)(4) allows class certification of “particular issues.” The question of “issue” certification has divided the Courts of Appeals, with some courts taking a “narrow” view that issues cannot be certified unless...more
Takeaway: In Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, 569 U.S. 27, 34 (2013), the Supreme Court confirmed that Rule 23 “does not set forth a mere pleading standard,” and that, absent a showing damages can be calculated on a class-wide...more
The latest Fifth Circuit opinion in Seeligson v. Devon Energy Production, L.P. is the latest round in a class action that has been developing since 2014....more
Consumer advocates, defense attorneys, tort reformists, and trial judges are all eagerly awaiting a decision by the Ninth Circuit which all hope will clarify the process for certifying a nationwide settlement class in the...more
Takeaway: Many courts instinctively have a negative view of motions to strike. For decades courts have referred to such motions – at least when directed to individual allegations under Rule 12(f) – as “disfavored,” a...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
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a recent decision, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals rebuked a Pennsylvania district court’s skeletal analysis of plaintiffs’ class action claims. Particularly, the court took issue with the district...more