Tag Archives: scalia

Will Moldy Washing Machines Save the Consumer Class Action from Extinction?

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published on ClassActionBlawg.com and is reprinted with permission. One of the key questions in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Comcast Corp. v. Behrend is the extent to which damages must be susceptible to classwide calculation in order to justify class certification.  In particular, the question is … Continue Reading

Common and Predominating Damages: Comcast Opinion Extends Wal-Mart v. Dukes’ Standards for Class Certification but Leaves the Question of Daubert for Another Day

Co-authored by: John B. Lewis, Dustin M. Dow, Patrick T. Lewis, Danyll W. Foix, and Rodger L. Eckelberry Editor’s Note: This Executive Alert was published by members of BakerHostetler’s Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Team, Employment Team, and BakerHostetler’s Class Action Team. On March 27, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, Case … Continue Reading

Comcast v. Behrend: Supreme Court Tightens Certification Requirements, But Leaves Standard For Expert Evidence Uncertain

On March 27, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, Case No. 11-864, which tightened class certification requirements in two respects.  First, Behrend requires plaintiffs to show a method by which class-wide damages can be commonly calculated in Rule 23(b)(3) antitrust class actions.  Second, the decision confirmed that the Court’s “rigorous analysis” … Continue Reading

Materiality Can Wait, Says the Supreme Court in Amgen

The following post is reprinted with permission from Paul Karlsgodt’s blog, www.classactionblawg.com.  Stay tuned over the coming days for more in-depth analysis of the Amgen decision and its potential implications for securities class actions and class actions more generally. The Supreme Court has issued its opinion in one of the most highly anticipated class action-related cases on … Continue Reading

Interview With Professor Mary Kay Kane (Part III)

Editor’s note:  This is the final post in a series of posts from the Class Action Lawsuit Defense Blog’s interview with Mary Kay Kane, former Dean and Chancellor and current Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law. Professor Kane is the author of the Nutshell on Civil Procedure, … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Allows Arbitration Despite Non-Disclosure of a Customer’s Right to Sue

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in CompuCredit Corp. v. Greenwood, 565 U.S. __, 132 S.Ct. 665, 181 L.Ed.2d 586 (2012), found that despite an act requiring a disclosure of a consumer’s “right to sue,” claims under the act would still be arbitrable absent clear congressional intent to the contrary. Plaintiffs held credit cards marketed and … Continue Reading

The Supreme Court’s Shady Grove Decision – Erie Unexplained

The Supreme Court’s decision in Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates, P.A. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 130 S. Ct. 1431 (2010) does little to clarify the application of the Erie Doctrine.  While many courts endeavor to apply and follow Erie, the classification of statutes and rules as “substantive” or “procedural” is far from uniform.  In a plurality … Continue Reading

Supreme Court’s Wal-Mart Decision Holds Title VII Class Not Certifiable for Lack of Commonality and Rejects Rule 23(b)(2) Certification

In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 564 U.S. __, 131 S.Ct. 2541, 180 L.Ed.2d 374 (2011), the Supreme Court held that a Title VII discrimination claim could not be determined on a casewide basis where employment decisions were made locally with no corporate direction. The Court also determined that claims for backpay could not certified … Continue Reading
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