Failed Unpaid Intern Class Action Hints at Impact of Comcast v. Behrend
If the secrecy of certain confidential information is compromised, it may lose its status as a trade secret. Courts will not recognize information as a trade secret if it has become generally available, is commonly used...more
In the recent decision of Electronic Arts Inc. v Bourgeois, 2024 QCCA 284 (Bourgeois), the Québec Court of Appeal provided direction concerning when and how defendants can appropriately challenge the scope of a proposed class...more
The concept of corporate legal separateness has long been a fortress protecting affiliated business entities such as parents, subsidiaries, and sister companies from various kinds of liability and litigation. However, how...more
I used to say that denials of class certification on numerosity grounds were rare and that usually it was futile to oppose class certification on that ground. That’s becoming less true as some circuits, including the Third...more
California employers may take solace in a recent unpublished decision upholding denial of class certification. In Salazar v. See’s Candy Shops Incorporated, the California Court of Appeal upheld the trial court’s decision to...more
On March 9, 2021, the United States District Court, Northern District of California issued a ruling in Handloser v. HCL Technologies Ltd., 19-cv-01242-LKH, 2021 WL 879802 (Mar. 9, 2021), applying the 2011 Supreme Court...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
Robinson v. Southern Counties Oil Co, 53 Cal. App. 5th 476 (2020) - Summary: Res judicata bars a PAGA claim when the employer has already settled a separate PAGA claim covering the same claims and time period. An...more
In what has become a near legal certainty following plant explosions, train wrecks with chemical spills, and other large-scale accidents, plaintiffs often file suit and seek to certify personal injury and property damage...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In Toomey v. Arizona, No. 19-CV-0035, 2020 WL 2465707 (D. Ariz. May 12, 2020), a Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona recommended the certification of class claims...more
Last Wednesday, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court concluded that receipt of participant disclosures and notices does not constitute “actual knowledge” of fees, investment options, and other plan features. Actual knowledge is the...more
The California Court of Appeal recently made it more difficult for plaintiffs to certify class actions based on false advertising or fraud. In Downey v. Public Storage, Inc., Case No. B291662, ___Cal.App.5th___ (Feb. 6,...more
In a favorable opinion for employers, the California Court of Appeal for the Second District concluded the following on December 4, 2019, in David Cacho v. Eurostar, Inc...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 15, 2020, in Guzman v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., No. 17-CV-02606-HSG, 2020 WL 227567 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 15, 2020), Judge Haywood Gilliam of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of...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
Addressing the application of the relation-back doctrine, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived a lawsuit, finding that damages were available because the amended complaint that asserted new patents related...more
A class must satisfy the following prerequisites in order to be certified to proceed in the form of a class action: numerosity, commonality, typicality, adequacy and it must be demonstrated that a class action is superior to...more
A recent class certification opinion may increase the risk of exposure and liability in class actions for businesses that impose fees using specific labels. In Waste Pro USA v. Vision Construction Ent., Inc., a Florida...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a decision with far–reaching implications for workplace class actions, the D.C. Circuit recently affirmed the denial of class certification of a Rule 23(b)(3) class on the grounds that the proposed class...more
Earlier this month, in Plastic Surgery Associates, SC v. Cynosure, Inc., United States District Judge Denise Casper denied plaintiffs’ motion for class certification and allowed Cynosure’s motion for summary judgment on...more
In late June, thirty-nine cities and counties advancing claims in the opioid multidistrict litigation moved to certify a “negotiating class” solely for the purpose of reaching a settlement....more
Welcome to the second 2019 issue of Product Lines – our quarterly e-newsletter that focuses on toxic torts and products liability issues. For this edition, we are reporting on several important and timely legal issues. As...more
On May 7, 2019, in Kaplan v. Casino Rama Services Inc. (Kaplan), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice refused to certify a privacy class action arising out of a criminal cyberattack that included allegations of breach of...more
On April 12, an Oregon federal jury in Wakefield v. Visalus, Case No. 3:15-cv-01857-SI, handed down what may turn out to be the largest Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action verdict ever awarded....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