ClassActionBlawg.com

Here are some blog posts from the week that was that might be of interest to class action practitioners:

Class Action-Related Post of the Week

Debbie Schlussel does not think too much of a class action settlement offering “victims” free makeup and perfume that the named plaintiffs’ claimed cosmetics companies cheated them out of in an alleged price-fixing scheme.  She offers this entertaining rant about the case, the settlement, and the legal system in general: 

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2009/01/forget_the_o-na.html

Welcome to the Class Action Blogosphere

Class action defense lawyer and Skadden Arps partner J Russell Jackson is making waves in the class action blogosphere with a new blog aptly called Jackson on Consumer Class Actions & Mass Torts.  Here’s a recent entry summarizing a Massachusetts federal court’s decision not to give collateral estoppel effect to a state court’s class certification order:

http://www.consumerclassactionsmasstorts.com/2009/01/articles/nuisance/federal-court-refuses-to-give-collateral-estoppel-effect-to-state-court-class-certification-order/

Class Action Decisions

The UCL Practitioner summarizes a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refusing to enforce a forum selection clause that would have required that California consumer protection claims be litigated in Virginia, a state without a class action procedure:

http://www.uclpractitioner.com/2009/01/ninth-circuit-refuses-to-enforce-forum-selection-clause-in-uclclra-case-ramkissoon-v-aol-llc.html

Class Action Defense Blog reviews a Missouri appellate court decision upholding a trial court’s order striking down the waiver portion of a class arbitration waiver and compelling arbitration.

http://classactiondefense.jmbm.com/2009/01/_class_action_defense_caseswoo.html

CAFA Law Blog cites a New Jersey federal court’s decision in offering practical advice on when it might be appropriate to ask a court to render a decision on whether federal jurisdiction was appropriate under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA):

http://www.cafalawblog.com/-case-summaries-party-tells-judge-hurry-up-and-rule-on-cafa-jurisdiction-judge-tells-party-hurry-up-and-produce-some-evidence.html

Spam Notes analyzes a Louisiana federal court’s decision dismissing a variety of different state and federal claims in a privacy class action involving allegations of a breach of private information when tax returns were left in a dumpster:

http://spamnotes.com/2009/01/15/federal-judge-rejects-privacy-class-action-against-hewitt-tax-services.aspx

Wage Law summarizes a California Court of Appeal decision reversing a denial of class certification on ascertainability of class membership grounds:

http://www.californiawagelaw.com/wage_law/2009/01/medrazo-cert-denial-reversed.html

Class Action Trends

Drug and Device Law Blog offers an abstract of and link to an article co-authored by one of its contributors, Mark Hermann, entitled: “Making Class Actions Work: The Untapped Potential of the Internet,” 69 U. Pitt. L. Rev. 727 (2008).

http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2009/01/using-internet-to-improve-class-actions.html

Classified offers periodic posts with class action-related news and trends, including a link to an article from CCH Wall Street reporting on a rise in Securities class actions.

http://www.carltonfields.com/classactionblog/blog.aspx?entry=249

http://www1.cchwallstreet.com/ws-portal/content/news/container.jsp?fn=01-13-09

See this January 23 Point of Law entry for an abstract an article by James Cox, Randall Thomas and Lynn Bai entitled “Do Differences in Pleading Standards Cause Forum Shopping in Securities Class Actions?”

http://www.pointoflaw.com/archives/2009/01/do-differences.php

Class Action News

The D&O Diary reports on recent events related to several high profile subprime-related class actions and securities scandals:

http://www.dandodiary.com/2009/01/articles/subprime-litigation/the-bofamerrill-deal-losses-disclosures-and-lawsuits/

The Complex Litigator provides an update on proceedings before the California Supreme Court in the wage and hour class action Brinker Restaurant v. Superior Court:

http://www.thecomplexlitigator.com/2009/01/view-the-opening-brief-submitted-in-brinker-restaurant-v-superior-court.html

Gabe’s Guide to the e-Discovery Universe has breaking news an a highly publicized scandal involving the CEO of an Indian security company that has become the target of several class actions:

http://gabesguide.com/?p=2309

Class Action Cinema?

Securities Docketshowcases a new video produced by the Professional Liability Underwriting Society entitled “The Rise and Fall of Bill Lerach.”

http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2009/01/21/video-the-rise-and-fall-of-bill-lerach/