From the standpoint of class action practice, 2017 was as important for what did not happen as for what did. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the 2017 class action scorecard, with a look forward to how the...more
In April, we reported on the oral argument in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, a Supreme Court case addressing whether putative class members may obtain appellate review of orders denying class certification by voluntarily...more
This month’s key California employment law cases involve civil procedure (class and representative actions) and wage and hour (retaliation) issues....more
The Xbox 360 is designed for gaming. Appellate litigation, gamers learned, is not. On behalf of a putative class of purchasers of the Xbox 360, a group of gamers brought suit alleging a defect with the consoles. After the...more
On June 12th, the Supreme Court issued its unsurprising decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, addressing a relatively recent twist concerning the appealability of orders denying class certification. The case resulted in...more
This year’s Supreme Court term may be more memorable for the intrigue and political drama taking place outside the Court than the import of the decisions the Court issued. On April 10, 2017, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth...more
The reality of class action litigation is that what is supposed to be the court’s preliminary decision of whether to certify a case as a class action is often the end of the litigation. In many cases, plaintiffs will not...more
In a victory for class action defendants, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker puts an end to plaintiffs' manufactured appeals as of right from denials of class certification. The Court's...more
The Supreme Court recently decided a case involving an Xbox 360, although the issue before them had nothing in particular to do with the video game system itself. It got me wondering, however, how many justices would you...more
Facts - On June 12, 2017, in Microsoft Corporation v. Baker, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that federal courts of appeals lack jurisdiction to review orders striking class allegations after the named plaintiffs...more
A group of plaintiffs hoped to hit the reset button on the Ninth Circuit’s denial of their Rule 23(f) petition to appeal from an order striking class allegations in their case against Microsoft, the maker of the popular Xbox...more
Introduction. On June 12, 2017, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker et al., a closely watched case in the class action world, and one on which we previously reported here. Baker presented the...more
Washington, DC-based litigator James Freije brings us an analysis of the Supreme Court’s latest class certification decision. Resolving a current split amongst multiple federal circuits, the United States Supreme Court...more
One of the difficulties of class action litigation that continues to vex employers is the frequent inability to obtain meaningful review of certification decisions. Because, the reasoning goes, certification orders are...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has closed a loophole that class action plaintiffs in the Ninth Circuit had been exploiting to obtain immediate appellate review of a district court’s denial of class certification. The decision –...more
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous 8-0 opinion in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, reversing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and holding that federal courts lack jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 to hear the...more
Let’s say you’re a plaintiff in a federal action and you’re seeking class certification. The district court denies your motion. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, No. 15-457 (U.S. June 12, 2017), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a procedural issue that is of importance in any class action in terms of when and in what circumstances a...more
In Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, 2017 WL 2507341, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that federal circuit courts lack jurisdiction over appeals from class-certification denials (or any other interlocutory decision) taken...more
On June 12, 2017, the Supreme Court decided Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, No. 15–457, holding that federal courts of appeals lack jurisdiction under 28 U. S. C. §1291, to review orders denying class certification (and orders...more
Plaintiffs may not voluntarily dismiss their class action claims upon receiving an adverse class certification decision and subsequently invoke 28 U.S.C. § 1291, the general rule that appeals can be taken only from a final...more
The United States Supreme Court today ended the controversial tactic of self-inflicted finality, wherein a class action plaintiff that has been denied certification and denied 23f review creates its own “final judgment” by...more
Recently, the United States Supreme Court heard argument in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, a case that may significantly impact class-action defense and appellate jurisdiction. Plaintiff classes frequently want to immediately...more
Whether a federal court of appeals has jurisdiction to review an order denying class certification after the named plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss their claims with prejudice was the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court on...more