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Archive for the ‘Class Action Settlements’ Category

Yesterday, Cornerstone Research published its annual report titled Securities Class Action Settlements–2010 Review and Analysis.  Among the findings in this year’s report: The number of approved securities class action settlements was at a 10-year low The total dollar value of settlements decreased 17% from 2009 to 2010, The median settlement amount was up 40%, but the average [...]

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In a case rife with lessons, a lawyer learned another valuable one today:  If you’re going to dish out the vitriol in your briefing with certain judges, be ready to be put in your place.  The case of Thorogood v. Sears Roebuck & Co. is already famous for the suggestion made by plaintiffs’ counsel in oral [...]

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The other day, a colleague tipped me off to a December 2009 blog posting by Oakland, California employment and civil rights attorney Bryan Schwartz entitled Death to the Reversionary, “Claims-Made” Settlement, a thoughtful, well-written article with which I completely disagree and to which I felt compelled to respond.  Schwartz is critical of what he alternatively calls [...]

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Last July, in an entry titled Incentive Awards Ok, but Not Incentive Agreements, I commented on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Rodriguez v. West Publishing Corp.   In Rodriguez, the Ninth Circuit panel condemned the use incentive agreements in class actions.  The incentive agreements were engagement agreements between the law firm and the named class representatives that called for the attorneys to seek [...]

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Cy pres awards continue to be a hot topic both in the news and in academia.  The latest contribution comes from Columbia law student Sam Yospe, whose article entitled Cy Pres Distributions in Class Action Settlements (Columbia Business Law Review, forthcoming) examines judicial discretion in choosing cy pres awards and makes practical suggestions for reform.  Yospe’s article [...]

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Over the past week, I have received two separate requests for comment on cy pres awards to charity in class action settlements.  Evidently it’s on readers’ minds, so I thought I’d give some thoughts on the subject here. Cy pres distributions to charity are one of several ways of dealing with a common problem in class action settlements: [...]

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In an opinion entered in April in Rodriguez v. West Publishing Corp., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated its disapproval of the practice of plaintiffs’ counsel entering into incentive agreements with putative class representatives, which required their attorneys to seek successively higher payment in the event of class settlements in successively higher dollar amounts.  The [...]

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As reported by various news sources today and summarized in this entry from Ben Hallman at The Am Law Litigation Daily, a Dutch court has approved a settlement of claims of a class of institutional investors against Royal Dutch Shell.  The settlement was approved under a 2005 Dutch law that allows collective settlements on an opt-out basis, although it [...]

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This report from Jim Williams of Chicago’s CBS affiliate, CBS 2, illustrates a common quandry facing lawyers in consumer class actions.  The report discusses a class action settlement involving allegations that packaged chicken contained excessive amounts of water, resulting in consumers getting less chicken for their money than advertized.  The article criticizes the settlement because class members [...]

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If you’re looking for a refreshing story about a class action settlement that isn’t all about money, the LA Times has a story for you.  This article by Teresa Watanabe recounts the history of a series of class actions brought against the U.S. government to obtain amnesty for a classes of immigrants who came to the [...]

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