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Posts Tagged ‘Class Action News’

BakerHostetler Releases 2012 Class Action Year-End Review

Posted in Class Action News, Class Action Trends, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

I’m pleased to announce that the BakerHostetler Class Action Defense Team has just released its 2012 Year-end Review of Class Actions, a joint project with the firm’s Employment Class Actions, Antitrust, and Data Privacy practice teams.  See below for a synopsis of the project.  Click the link above to access a copy of the report itself:

We are pleased to share with you the BakerHostetler 2012 Year-end Review of Class Actions, which offers a summary of some of the key developments in class action litigation during the past year. Class action litigation continues to persist in all areas of civil litigation despite the Supreme Court’s 2011 decisions in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion and in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, which were seen by many commentators as marking the beginning of the end of class actions as we know them. But while the Supreme Court’s 2011 decisions have had a significant impact on class action litigation, they have not brought about its demise and are not likely to do so anytime soon. In the last two years, we’ve seen landmark decisions and the addition of important judicial gloss to those decisions. 2013 will be no different as the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on a series of key cases this spring.

We hope you find this Review a useful tool as you move forward into the new year. This comprehensive analysis of last year’s developments in class action procedure and jurisdiction, as well as developments by subject matter will hopefully provide context and insight as you look ahead to 2013’s expected trends in class action law, including the proliferation of privacy class action litigation and class action litigation relating to the LIBOR rate-fixing scandal.

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It’s Bad to Be a Scoundrel, But It’s Good to Be a CAD!

Posted in Lawyers' Resources, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on January 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

For those readers who may be dissatisfied with my somewhat uneven coverage of all things class action lately, here’s a reminder about a great source for the latest in class action news and trends: the ABA’s Class Actions and Derivative Suits (CADS) Committee Group Page on LinkedIn.  CADS membership is free to all ABA Section of Litigation members.  Participation in the LinkedIn group is a benefit to all CADS members.  For more information on how to join CADS, click here.  For the LinkedIn Group, click here. 

Some highlights of the content available on the LinkedIn page:

  • A summary of the recent oral argument before the United States Supreme Court in Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles
  • Coverage of a recent 7th Circuit decision discussing whether misconduct by putative class counsel requires denial of class certification.
  • Links to articles authored by members in other publications or blogs.
  • Announcements about upcoming CADS events.

And much more…

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ClassActionBlawg.com Slapped with Class Action Lawsuit

Posted in Commentary, tagged , , on August 12, 2009| 4 Comments »

Not really.  I just had to vent.

Try typing the phrase “class action” into a Google news search on any given day and you’ll find hundreds of catchy headlines like:

  • Blue Sky Mining Company Hit with Class Action Suit Over Deplorable Work Conditions
  • Dewey Cheatham & Howe Announces Major Class Action Against Quickie Mart Stores
  • Class Action Could Bring the Widget Industry to its Knees
  • Law Offices of Atticus Finch Files Class Action Against Radley, Inc.
  • Class Action Accuses Blogger of Defamation for Complaining About Class Action Press Releases, …

… You get the idea.

To the casual observer, many of these dramatic headlines might sound like real news, rather than a plaintiffs’ firm with a good SEO consultant supplementing its latest complaint with a press release in order to drum up publicity for its filing.  The truth is, any yahoo with a law license can file a “class action” complaint.  But the case doesn’t become a class action until the judge certifies a class, and the mere filing of a lawsuit is a far cry from a determination that the case has any merit.  Some of these complaints may actually become “major” class actions, but the fact that they seem to accompany every filing where the plaintiff seeks to represent a class makes it almost impossible to distinguish the truly meaningful cases from those that you’ll never hear about again.

I’m sure a good plaintiffs’ lawyer could come up with an eloquent explanation for why it is necessary to treat each new case as the story of the century.  It could be driven by a desire for publicity, a belief in the righteousness of the cause, or even a means of defending a firm’s turf against possible rivals.  Whatever the reason, to someone searching for meaningful class action news, having to sift through the countless case announcements can be more than irritating.

Maybe some day the search engines will come up with some kind of filter to separate out the press releases from real news.  Then again, if it was so easy to find class action-related news, would there be any need to visit ClassActionBlawg.com?

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CAB Showcase on Class Action-Related Print Materials

Posted in Lawyers' Resources, Reports and Surveys, tagged , , , , , , on March 31, 2009| 1 Comment »

I finally found a few moments the other day to organize the teetering stack of professional journals, magazines, and flyers that had been piling up in my inbox.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the most recent issue of the ABA Commercial & Business Litigation section’s Winter newsletter is a collection of articles focusing on class action issues.  The compelling list of titles include “What to Tell a Panicked Client about Class Actions,” “CAFA and its Impact on Class Action Litigation,” “The ‘Holistic’ Approach to Scienter under Tellabs,” “Alternative Privilege Log Techniques in an E-discovery World,” and Recent Rulings Limit Plaintiffs’ Choice of Forum Tactics.”

http://www.abanet.org/litigation/committees/commercial/newsletter.html

Speaking of class-action related materials, here are some good print publications focusing on class actions:

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Class Action News Tidbits

Posted in Class Action News, tagged , , on January 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I’m still on the road with plans to return to Denver later today, but in the interest of keeping the loyal reader completely up to date on the latest in class action news, here are a couple of quick items:

This Vancouver Sun article summarizes a NERA Consulting report on trends in securities class action litigation continues to rise in Canada.

The Scranton Times Tribune reports that class action lawsuits are being “mulled” by a nonprofit organization and a trial lawyer in the wake of a kickback scandal involving two juvenile court judges.  For related news, see this Overlawyered entry, Class action law firm announces “investigation.”

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Class Action Blogosphere Weekly Review

Posted in Class Action Decisions, Class Action News, Class Action Trends, Other class action blogs, tagged , , , , , on January 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

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/

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Class Action Blogosphere Weekly Review

Posted in Class Action Decisions, Class Action Fairness Act, Class Action News, Class Action Trends, International Class Action Law, Other class action blogs, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 15, 2009| 1 Comment »

CABWR is finally back after a three week holiday hiatus!  Here are some blog posts from the week that was that might be of interest to class action practitioners:

Class Action Decisions

CAFA Law Blog discusses a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision addressing jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) before reversing class certification in a case alleging violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA):

Class Action Defense Blog summarizes a California appellate court decision reversing a trial court’s decision to deny certification after concluding that it would be necessary to make a determination on the merits to ascertain class members and evaluate numerosity:

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

Classified comments on a Florida decision upholding a class certification order where the lack of a hearing transcript left the appellate court with no way to analyze the evidence considered by the trial court in reaching its decision:

http://www.carltonfields.com/classactionblog/blog.aspx?entry=246

Folo comments on an opinion by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner, who has some harsh words for attorneys for objectors to a class action settlement who sought an attorney fee award for what the Judge did not consider a significant contribution to the outcome of the case:

http://www.folo.us/2008/12/30/this-case-is-finito/

The UCL Practitioner summarizes a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision discussing the removability under CAFA of securities class actions filed under section 22(a) of the Securities Act of 1933:

http://www.uclpractitioner.com/2009/01/7th-circuit-makes-it-harder-for-plaintiffs-to-keep-securities-class-actions-in-state-court.html

Class Action Trends

Drug and Device Law Blog discusses the phenomena of “global coordinating counsel” and its rise from marketing ploy to reality as class action and related procedures become more developed around the world:

http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-meaning-of-global-coordinating.html

Mass Tort Litigation Blog discusses the “multi-faceted” nature of mass tort litigation in an article that includes a discussion of federal judge Jack Weinstein treating MDL litigation and settlement of pharmaceutical products liability claims as a “quasi-class action”:

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/2009/01/todays-14-billi.html

Securities Docket summarizes a Manhattan Institute report on a trend in Louisiana public pension funds serving as lead plaintiffs in securities class actions:

http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2008/12/28/manhattan-institute-finds-la-pension-funds-most-active-lead-plaintiffs-in-securities-cases/

The D&O Diary summarizes the year in securities litigation from 2008…

http://www.dandodiary.com/2009/01/articles/securities-litigation/a-closer-look-at-the-2008-securities-lawsuits/

… and The Race to the Bottom offers observations about the modest nature of the increase in securities class actions in light of the financial crisis:

http://www.theracetothebottom.org/home/the-trend-in-securities-class-action-lawsuits.html

The Daily Insurer discusses a recent report by Seyfert Shaw LLP summarizing trends in employment class action litigation:

http://dailyinsurer.blogspot.com/2009/01/class-action-litigation-analyzed-in-new.html

Class Action Commentary

Point of Law provides an abstract of a student note by James McDonald in Duke Law Journal entitled “Milberg’s Monopoly: Restoring Honesty and Competition to the Plaintiffs’ Bar”:

http://www.pointoflaw.com/archives/2009/01/milbergs-monopo.php

Wage Law discusses claims-made settlements and reversions in wage and hour class actions and whether unclaimed funds escheat to the state:

http://www.californiawagelaw.com/wage_law/2009/01/more-on-reversions-and-claims-made-settlements.html

Pro Football Talk comments on the facts of a class action filed on behalf of retired players against the NFL Players’ Association for for breach of fiduciary duty, which was recently tried to a jury verdict in the retirees’ favor:

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/01/13/ruling-in-nflpa-class-action-sheds-light-on-what-the-union-did-allegedly-to-retired-players/

Class Action News

The Complex Litigator reports on the California Supreme Court’s decision to grant review in the wage and hour class action Brinkley v. Public Storage, Inc., Sup. Ct. Case No. S168806:

http://www.thecomplexlitigator.com/2009/01/breaking-news-review-granted-in-brinkley-v-public-storage-inc.html

Class Action Previews. Predictions, and Hopes for 2009

North Carolina Business Litigation Report previews the year ahead for the North Carolina Business Court, including a discussion of class actions:

http://www.ncbusinesslitigationreport.com/2009/01/articles/watching-the-court/the-year-ahead-in-the-north-carolina-business-court/

New look Overlawyered has a post proposing a good idea for a consumer class action that it’s author predicts will be filed by some plaintiffs’ firm in 2009:

http://overlawyered.com/2008/12/a-prediction-for-2009/

Law and More has hopes for “juicy corporate class action litigation” in 2009:

http://lawandmore.typepad.com/law_and_more/2009/01/needed-juicy-corporate-classaction-litigation.html

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Class Action Blogosphere Weekly Review

Posted in Class Action Decisions, Class Action News, Class Action Trends, CLE Programs, tagged , , , , , on December 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

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

Top Stories that Are Hopefully Not Indicative of Class Action Trends

Overlawyered reports on a courtroom fistfight between two lawyers pursuing rival class action suits against the same defendant:

http://overlawyered.com/2008/12/new-orleans-brawl-between-class-action-lawyers/

Class Action Decisions

How Appealing summarizes and links to an opinion by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision holding that a class action counterclaim defendant could not remove to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) (as an aside, yours truly was on the losing end of the Ninth Circuit decision relied upon by the majority.  Sorry Mayer Brown et al. for helping to create bad precedent):

http://howappealing.law.com/121708.html#031686

Securities Docket offers a synopsis of a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the dismissal of a securities fraud class action under the “strong inference” of wrongful intent standard required by the Supreme Court’s decision in Tellabs:

http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2008/12/15/fourth-circuit-affirms-dismissal-of-securities-class-action-against-inspire-pharmaceuticals/

Online Dating Newsletter reports on a federal court’s decision denying a motion for summary judgment filed by an online dating service defending claims that it continued to charge fees after members had canceled their service:

http://www.onlinedatingnewsletter.com/datingnews/truecomclassactionlawsuit/

Corporate Legal Times has a story about an an Iowa federal court’s class certification decision, with the self-explanatory headline “Class Action Status Doesn’t Stick to Teflon Lawsuits” …

http://www.cltmag.com/class-action-status-doesnt-stick-to-teflon-lawsuits.html

… and more on the same case from InjuryBoard.com and South Florida Lawyers:

http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/teflon-lawsuits-won39t-become-class-action.aspx?googleid=253196

http://southfloridalawyers.blogspot.com/2008/12/teflon-class-action-up-in-flames.html

Wage Law reviews a recent California appellate decision addressing the standards for what evidence a trial court must consider in evaluating the fairness of a class action settlement: 

http://www.californiawagelaw.com/wage_law/2008/12/kullar-v-foot-locker—reversal-of-class-action-settlement-approval.html

The Race to the Bottom analyzes a New York court’s grant of summary judgment in a shareholder class action alleging that a forced bank merger constituted a breach of fiduciary duty:

http://www.theracetothebottom.org/home/bear-stearns-the-shotgun-merger-and-fiduciary-duties.html

Class Action Trends

As always, for the latest developments in subprime crisis litigation, see the D&O Diary…

http://www.dandodiary.com/2008/12/articles/subprime-litigation/subprime-securities-suit-against-bank-dismissed-without-prejudice/

… and for more commentary and analysis on trends in subprime mortgage litigation, see this December 3 entry from Mortgage Meltdown:

http://mortgagemeltdown.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/securities-fraud-lawsuit-against-countrywide.html

Class Action News

The Complex Litigatorreports on upcoming administrative changes in the Los Angeles County Complex Litigation Court (Btw, congrats to Scott Leviant on his new position with Initiative Legal Group LLP):

http://www.thecomplexlitigator.com/2008/12/management-changes-coming-to-complex-litigation-court-in-los-angeles-county.html

The Memphis Daily Newsreports on developments in a potential class action lawsuit being considered by the City of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee against lenders for alleged predatory lending practices leading to mass foreclosures in connection with subprime mortgages:

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=39942

Spam Notes has an update on procedings on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a class action involving federal preemption of claims brought under the California anti-spam statute and other state laws:

http://spamnotes.com/2008/12/16/kleffman-v-vonage–no-oral-argument.aspx

Drug and Device Law provides an update on amendments to Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Counsel guidelines on what a company must disclose about securities class action and other litigation:

http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2008/12/amending-fas-5-update.html

Class Action Conferences

Class Action Defense Blog and CAFA Law Blog comment on an upcoming conference sponsored by the American Finance Institute on consumer finance class actions and litigation to be held in New York in late January:

http://classactiondefense.jmbm.com/2008/12/mark_your_calendars_class_acti_6.html

http://www.cafalawblog.com/-events-making-your-list-checking-it-twice-if-so-make-sure-this-outstanding-seminar-is-on-it.html

Class Action Commentary

www.InvestmentFraudPRO argues that FINRA securities fraud arbitration can often be a better approach for victims of investment fraud to recoup their losses than class action lawsuits:

http://investmentfraudpro.blogspot.com/2008/12/finra-securities-arbitration-or-class.html

FP Legal Post predicts that class actions against cell phone companies based on concealment of studies linking cell technology to brain cancer may be the next wave of litigation in Canada:

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/legalpost/archive/2008/12/15/cellphones-newest-bonanza-for-class-action-bar.aspx

Mass Tort Litigation Blog discusses a recent BNA Reports commentary on CAFA’s Local Class Action Exception:

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/2008/12/cafas-local-cla.html

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Class Action Blogojevich Weekly Review

Posted in Class Action Decisions, Class Action Fairness Act, Class Action News, class action reform, Class Action Trends, International Class Action Law, Other class action blogs, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 11, 2008| Leave a Comment »

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

Kudos to the folks at Drug and Device Law Blog on their excellent review, with the help of O’Melveny’s John Beisner, of the most recent draft of ALI’s Principles of Aggregate Litigation:

http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2008/12/umm-what-he-said.html

Class Action Decisions

Securities Docket summarizes and links to the latest decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York discussing federal jurisdiction in a “foreign cubed” securities class action:

http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2008/12/01/sdny-dismisses-vodafone-securities-class-action-for-lack-of-subject-matter-jurisdiction/

Class Action Defense Blog discusses a pair of Federal district court decisions in class actions involving claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA):

http://classactiondefense.jmbm.com/2008/12/class_action_defense_cases_ste.html

http://classactiondefense.jmbm.com/2008/12/fdcpa_class_action_defense_cas_11.html

North Carolina Business Litigation Report discusses a North Carolina federal court’s decision denying a motion for a preliminary injunction and discusses other developments in a class action seeking to enjoin a high profile bank merger:

http://www.ncbusinesslitigationreport.com/2008/12/articles/class-actions/nc-business-court-denies-motion-for-preliminary-injunction-in-wachoviawells-fargo-merger-case/

The Complex Litigator offers a synopsis of a California Supreme Court decision addressing the availability of punitive damages in wage and hour class actions:

http://www.thecomplexlitigator.com/2008/12/for-the-moment-california-law-is-clear-no-punitive-damages-for-violations-of-labor-code-provisions-r.html

The UCL Practitioner provides a link to the latest in California Court of Appeal decisions addressing the injury-in-fact requirement for standing under the Unfair Competition Law (UCL) after Proposition 64:

http://www.uclpractitioner.com/2008/12/new-ucl-standing-decision-troyk-v-farmers-group-inc.html

Wage Law offers a synopsis of a California decision discussing the impact of practical difficulties in ascertaining class membership on the viability of class certification in a wage and hour case:

http://www.californiawagelaw.com/wage_law/2008/12/harper-v-24-hour-fitness.html

Class Action News

Spam Notes discusses and provides a link to the complaint in a putative class action seeking liability against an Internet company for allegedly violating the Washington State gift card law by removing credits from customers’ “stored value accounts” due to inactivity:

http://spamnotes.com/2008/12/08/class-action-filed-against-skype-for-wa-gift-card-violations.aspx

WDSU.com reports on a class action against the City of New Orleans challenging the constitutionality of using automated cameras to catch drivers who run red lights:

http://www.wdsu.com/news/18215832/detail.html?rss=no&psp=news

Mercury News discusses an order by a California federal judge certifying a class in a case against a collection firm for alleged unlawful threats in bad check notices to debtors:

http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_11139841?source=rss

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog provides details on an unsealed indictment of defendants accused of participating a conspiracy to collect class action settlement proceeds using forged documents and fake companies.  (See previous ClassActionBlawg commentary on the story here):

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/12/03/class-action-fraud-alive-and-well-philly-prosecutors-say/

Class Action Scholarship

Mass Tort Litigation offers links variety of interesting scholarly articles on class action-related issues, including this abstract of an article by Tanya Monestier of Queen’s University entitled Personal Jurisdiction Over Non-Resident Plaintiffs in Multi-Jurisdictional Class Actions: Have We Gone Down the Wrong Road?

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/

Class Action Trends

The D&O Diary discusses the “new wave” in subprime credit crisis litigation:

http://www.dandodiary.com/2008/12/articles/subprime-litigation/the-evolving-credit-crisis-litigation-wave/

Class Action Commentary

Point of Law responds to a commentary on the Cato Institute’s Cato-at-Liberty blog arguing that the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) is contrary to the originalist interpretation of the United States Constitution.  (See ClassActionBlawg reaction to the same commentary here):

http://www.pointoflaw.com/archives/2008/12/moller-constitu.php

Overlawyered discusses the reasons for the race to the courthouse shortly after a tragic event like the Black Friday shopper trampling:

http://overlawyered.com/2008/12/5-minute-after-suits-and-the-wal-mart-trampling/

A climate change skeptic responds to a researcher’s claims that he can calculate the difference between damage caused by a storm and the damage that would have been caused but for global warming, on The Air Vent:

http://noconsensus.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/class-action-suits-to-stop-global-warming/

International Class Action Law

Jurist reports on the rejection of a collective action brought in China by alleged victims of the recent tainted baby formula scandal.  (See previous ClassActionBlawg entry here):

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/12/china-court-rejects-tainted-milk-class.php

Canadian Tax Resource discusses a bulletin issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency describing the department’s views on the tax implications of a Canadian securities class action settlement:

http://blog.taxresource.ca/cra-provides-direction-on-the-nortel-class-action-settlement/

Financial Post discusses the possibility of cross-border class action litigation by U.S. plaintiffs’ firms following the expected failure of a leveraged buyout of a Canadian company:

http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1057781

The Court briefs a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada upholding the imposition of strict liability against a cement company in a public nuisance class action.  (See earlier ClassActionBlawg commentary on the case here):

http://www.thecourt.ca/2008/12/10/recognizing-no-fault-civil-liability-in-respect-of-neighbourhood-disturbances-in-quebec-civil-law/

Oh, and by the way, the title of this week’s CABWR is not a typo.  I just thought I’d make a belated pitch for that open Illinois Senate Seat.

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Class Action Blogosphere Weekly Review

Posted in Class Action Decisions, Class Action News, Class Action Trends, International Class Action Law, Other class action blogs, Reports and Surveys, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 29, 2008| Leave a Comment »

CABWR Challenge of the Week Recap

I’m very disappointed to have to report that last week’s “Lay Down the Gauntlet” Challenge of the Week did not generate a single vote or comment.  This means that I must arbitrarily assign a label for class actions filed against institutional investors for failing to make a claim in another class action settlement.  I have delegated the selection to my dog, Monty, whose vote was to be recorded based on whether he wagged his tail in response to my uttering each of the three candidates.  For anyone who questions the fairness of this process, you should have thought about that when you decided not to vote.  Plus, you should know that Monty got third place one year in the NCAA basketball tournament office pool.  In truth, Monty wasn’t enthralled by any of the choices.  But he did raise an eyebrow and sniff in response to one, while simply maintaining a blank stare in response to the other two.  So, class actions seeking liability for failing to participate in other class action shall forever be called…

“Malkovich”

Congrats to Professor Peter J. Henning of White Collar Crime Prof Blog on his victory.  I’m sure he’ll be thrilled by his victory if he ever discovers that he even entered (in an entry from 2005).

Without further ado (and a few days later than usual), here are some blog entries from the week that was that might be of interest to class action practitioners…

Class Action Decisions

Feminist Law Professors discusses a California state court’s decision to grant class certification in a sexual orientation discrimination case filed against an online dating site for refusing to match gay and lesbian patrons:

http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu/?p=4364

Class Action Defense Blog reviews a Third Circuit Court of Appeals opinion reversing, on predominance and superiority grounds, a class certification order in a case filed by automobile dealers against a manufacturer:

http://classactiondefense.jmbm.com/2008/11/class_action_defense_casesdanv_1.html

Classified provides a synopsis of a decision by a Florida federal court addressing proof necessary to establish jurisdiction under the $5 million amount in controversy requirement in a case removed under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) when the plaintiffs’ class definition was imprecise:

http://www.carltonfields.com/classactionblog/blog.aspx?entry=243

Drug and Device Law comments on a Tennessee Supreme Court decision from earlier this year holding that claims under the state’s consumer protection law could not be brought as class actions:

http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/2008/11/tennessee-rejects-consumer-fraud-class.html

Class Action Trends

Point of Law comments on a well-known personal injury firm switching its emphasis from asbestos cases to ERISA class actions involving fees charged in connection with 401K plans:

http://www.pointoflaw.com/archives/2008/11/asbestos-today.php

The WSJ Law Blog discusses a request for attorneys fees in a class action settlement for work done by temporary lawyers:

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/11/24/in-xerox-class-action-fees-for-temp-lawyers-take-center-stage/

Class Action News

North Carolina Business Litigation Report offers the latest developments relating to a class action brought to enjoin a high profile bank merger:

http://www.ncbusinesslitigationreport.com/2008/11/articles/class-actions/north-carolinas-attorney-general-and-state-treasurer-duke-it-out/

Securities Docket discusses the resolution of a battle between several large institutional investors for appointment as “lead plaintiff” in a securities class action against a mortgage lender:

http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2008/11/26/political-shoving-match-in-north-carolina-rebuts-lead-plaintiff-presumption-in-freddie-mac-case/

The Tampa Bay Tribune reports on a putative class action filed in Florida on behalf of voters challenging Florida’s decision to move up its primaries despite objections from both major parties:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/26/class-action-status-sought-suit-over-florida-prima/news-politics/

The UCL Practitioner summarizes the issues accepted for review by the California Supreme Court in a case implicating whether payment of alleged overcharges can constitute injury sufficient to support an action under the Unfair Competition Law (UCL) when those overcharges are passed on to third parties:

http://www.uclpractitioner.com/2008/11/statement-of-issues-on-review-in-clayworth-v-pfizer-inc.html

AMLAC & Fraud links to a CNN article reporting on the indictment of six people charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy to make fraudulent claims in class action settlements (see ClassActionBlawg entry about the story here):

http://amlac1.blogspot.com/2008/11/federal-government-charges-6-in-40.html

Class Action Commentary

Sergie Lemberg of LemonJustice.com offers a guest commentary on The Complex Litigator addressing the loser pays rule common in jurisdictions outside the Europe and opining that the rule hurts consumers:

http://www.thecomplexlitigator.com/2008/11/guest-blogger-sergei-lemberg-from-lemonjusticecom-on-the-loser-pays-system-and-why-it-hurts-consumer.html

The Race to the Bottom comments on trends in “foreign cubed” securities fraud class actions.  (See recent ClassActionBlawg commentary on the subject here):

http://www.theracetothebottom.org/home/no-bright-line-test-for-foreign-cubed-securities-fraud-actio.html

Class Action Reports

Tom Willging of the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) comments on Consumer Law & Protection Blog regarding the FJC’s recent report on trends in class action filings following the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA):

http://pubcit.typepad.com/clpblog/2008/11/new-federal-judicial-center-study-on-the-class-action-fairness-action-one-of-the-authors-speaks.html

International Class Action Law

Shareholders Foundation discusses proposed European collective action procedures and how they might compare to the U.S. class action model:

http://shareholdersfoundation.com/?p=4647

Jurist reports on the Sixth Circuit’s decision affirming an order granting in part and denying in part a motion for summary judgment in a class action against the Vatican arising out of alleged clergy abuse by the Catholic Church:

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/11/sixth-circuit-allows-class-action.php

With Vigour and Zeal offers notes on a variety of issues touching on international and transnational class and collective action litigation:

http://kranenburgesq.com/blog/2008/11/wrapping-it-up-26-november-2008/

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