Takeaway: The ascertainability requirement for class actions has divided both California and federal appellate courts. In Noel v. Thrifty Payless, Inc., --- P.3d ----, No. S246490, 2019 WL 3403895 (CA July 29, 2019), the...more
Takeaway: In prior posts, we have reported on the dismissals of putative class actions asserting that the “diet” in “diet soda” is false or misleading. See Second Circuit: another nail in the diet soda coffin (April 30,...more
Takeaway: A federal court should not lose jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) when it denies a motion for class certification. In a prior post – Getting it wrong – remanding a removed class action back...more
Recently, the Supreme Court imposed yet another roadblock to class arbitration in Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela. Relying on Stolt-Nielsen S.A. v. AnimalFeeds Int’l Corp., the Court ruled that ambiguous language in an...more
Takeaway: In the wake of Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540 (2016), defendants in data breach class actions regularly move to dismiss on standing grounds, arguing the complaint’s allegations do not plausibly allege an...more
Virtually every state has adopted The Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“UTSA”) in one form or another. As enacted, the UTSA typically preempts “other laws of this State providing civil remedies for misappropriation of trade...more
Takeaway: Adhesion contracts are ubiquitous in modern internet commerce, and the rules of contract formation are generally the same for paper and on-line contracts. Parties are generally bound by terms and conditions...more
A consumer fraud class action must be grounded on allegations of false or deceptive statements of fact. Opinions, including estimates clearly labeled as estimates, do not constitute statements of fact that can support a...more
In Gumm v. Ford, No. 5:15-CV-41 (MTT), 2019 WL 2017497 (M.D. Ga. May 7, 2019), Judge Marc Treadwell of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia approved a landmark class settlement involving...more
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varella, No. 17-988, 2019 WL 1780275 (U.S. Apr. 24, 2019), a lot of ink has been spilled on the issue of class arbitration. The Lamps Plus majority,...more
5/13/2019
/ Ambiguous ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Arbitration ,
Consent ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Lamps Plus Inc v Varela ,
Motion to Compel ,
Preemption ,
SCOTUS
Takeaway: In prior posts, we have reported on the dismissals of putative class actions asserting that the “diet” in “diet soda” is false or misleading. See N.D. Cal. sounds the death knell on “diet” soda class actions...more
Takeaway: According to the United States Supreme Court, federal district courts have “the virtually unflagging obligation . . . to exercise the jurisdiction given them.” Colorado River Water Conservation Dist. v. U.S., 424...more
As we predicted in a January 2019 post [Cy pres-only class settlements – anticipated Supreme Court decision may never come to pass], the United States Supreme Court, in a closely-watched case, declined to rule on the fairness...more
3/29/2019
/ Class Action ,
Cy Pres Funds ,
Frank v Gaos ,
FRCP 23(e) ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Settlement ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Standing ,
Stored Communications Act ,
Vacated
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
Takeaway: There are two ways to beat a class action – defeat class certification or defeat the class claims on the merits. Individual RICO actions tend to be complex and expensive to defend, and they increase a defendant’s...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
Takeaway: A consumer fraud class action must be grounded on allegations of false or deceptive statements of fact. Opinions, includes estimates clearly labeled as estimates, do not constitute statements of fact that can...more
Takeaway: In the wake of Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540 (2016), defendants in data breach class actions regularly move to dismiss on standing grounds, arguing the complaint’s allegations do not plausibly allege an...more
Takeaway: In two recent cases, the Second Circuit explored the plausibility of theories of deception in false labeling/consumer fraud cases. In one case, the appellate court ruled that a plausibly false labeling statement...more
Takeaway: Justice Kavanaugh’s first Supreme Court opinion is yet another High Court reminder that, when it comes to arbitration, the contract controls. If parties agree that an arbitrator should resolve the “gateway” issue...more
1/23/2019
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Arbitrators ,
Contract Terms ,
Exceptions ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Henry Schein Inc v Archer and White Sales Inc ,
Judicial Review ,
Motion to Compel ,
Question of Arbitrability ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Wholly Groundless Doctrine
Takeaway: On April 30, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in a Ninth Circuit case approving a cy pres-only class action settlement. As we reported in a May 2018 post [U.S. Supreme Court puts class action doubleheader...more
Takeaway: As we explored in a prior post (“Class arbitration – can it even work?”), conducting a class arbitration like most class actions – that is, giving absent class members notice and an opportunity to opt-out – may not...more
Takeaway: In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s continued vigorous enforcement of class action waivers, more and more corporate parties can be expected to include broad class action waivers in their contracts with consumers...more
Takeaway: The issue of how to treat uninjured class members continues to vex the federal courts. This issue presents both substantive and procedural complexities. Substantively, a class must be defined in objective terms, so...more
Takeaway: When a plaintiff files a class action in state court, the first thing defense counsel will do is evaluate whether it can be removed to federal court. Most courts have long agreed that compensatory damages must be...more