Last year, we alerted you to the filing of several class action lawsuits alleging that plan fiduciaries violated their duties of prudence and loyalty under Title I of ERISA by applying forfeitures to reduce employer...more
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f) gives the court of appeals discretion to review a narrow class of interlocutory orders: those granting or denying class certification. But it is sometimes possible for other orders to...more
When a class certification decision overlaps with merits issues, can a court of appeals deciding an interlocutory appeal from a class certification order also review an earlier decision on a motion to dismiss if it was...more
On January 3, 2024, the defendant in Heppard v. Dunham’s Athleisure Corporation filed an interlocutory appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, arguing that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District...more
The case of Hardwick v. 3M, a Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) class action lawsuit filed in Ohio, has been marked as one of the most significant legal cases in recent history. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals...more
Delaware court declines to enforce restrictive covenants in LLC agreement but grants interlocutory appeal. In Sunder Energy v. Jackson, et al., a company, Sunder, sued a former employee, Jackson, for breaching a...more
Regulators Hit Jackpot: Off-Channel Communications - Several years before announcing the first “off-channel” communications enforcement action, the SEC and FINRA cautioned broker-dealers and investment advisers about...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Coinbase Inc. v. Bielski requires that district court litigation in any matter remain in the starting gate while any appeal from a denial of a motion to compel arbitration in...more
In a recent 5-4 decision reversing the Ninth Circuit and settling a circuit split, the Supreme Court of the United States in Coinbase v. Bielski held that a district court must stay its proceedings while an interlocutory...more
For many employers, mandatory arbitration agreements have become a popular alternative to judges and juries hearing employment disputes. These employers view arbitration as a more predictable alternative than jury pools found...more
On June 23, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States held district court proceedings must be put on hold during an appeal on the question of whether claims are subject to arbitration. The ruling is a big win for...more
A little over two years ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit became the first federal appellate court in the country to reject the widespread and longstanding two-step approach of first “conditionally”...more
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the appeal of a denial of a motion to compel arbitration mandates that the district court stay litigation pending appeal or permits the district court to decide on a case-by-case...more
Takeaway: In the U.S. Supreme Court’s seminal decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 564 U.S. 338, 342 (2011), the court described a class consisting of 1.5 million class members as “one of the most expansive” classes...more
This week, the Ninth Circuit addresses the immediate appealability of orders invalidating class action opt-outs, and considers whether a decision not to renew a contract is an adverse employment action for purposes of a Title...more
There has, of late, been a lot of controversy over whether workers who live outside a State where a FLSA class action is being litigated can opt-in to that action. Different Circuits have ruled differently on this crucial...more
The decision appears to create a new rule for determining standing to bring Securities Act claims in the context of direct listings. The Slack Direct Listing Decision - On September 20, 2021, the US Court of Appeals...more
IN THIS ISSUE - Illinois Federal Judge Finds COVID-19, Not TD Ameritrade, Responsible for Losses; Supreme Court to Address Scope and Application of Basic Presumption of Classwide Reliance in Securities Class Actions;...more
KEITH MANUFACTURING CO. v. BUTTERFIELD - Before Taranto, Clevenger, and Hughes. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Summary: A voluntary dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(a)...more
This week, two federal appellate courts published notable opinions on the intersection between personal jurisdiction jurisprudence and Rule 23 class action procedure. The defendants in both cases face nationwide class...more
This week the D.C. Circuit and Seventh Circuit issued decisions addressing a question that has been hotly debated by class action lawyers on the plaintiffs’ and defense sides: whether the Supreme Court’s decision on personal...more
On January 8, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California reinstated its June 2014 class certification order, holding that the named plaintiff’s full refund damages model was consistent with his...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a clarification of the administrative/production dichotomy, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has held that whether a duty is exempt under the FLSA’s administrative exemption may...more
Massachusetts state and federal courts issued a number of important product liability decisions in 2019. The Product Liability practice group at Nutter recently reviewed these cases. Highlighted below are some of the key...more
A few months ago, we wrote about the Second Circuit’s oral argument in the “flushable” hygienic wipes consumer class action cases. And now, the septic saga continues....more