Class Action

Expert Analysis

• Does 'Consent' Survive Cellphone Number Recycling?

  

  The new Twitter case in the Northern District of California raises interesting issues regarding the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s concepts of “consent” and “called party” that have not yet been finally determined by either the courts or the Federal Communications Commission, say attorneys with DLA Piper LLP.

• And Now A Word From The Panel: Top 10 Venue Arguments

  

  As the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation heads to the “Heart of America” for its July 31 hearing, this column will take a bit of a detour from its regular format and present a top 10 list of arguments — some strange, yet true — made in support of a particular MDL venue, says Alan Rothman of Kaye Scholer LLP.

• Calif. Courts Concede To Class Waivers Post-Concepcion

  

  Despite the employee-friendly nature of California courts and their occasional rendering of arbitration agreements as unenforceable, two recent Ninth Circuit rulings in Davis v. Nordstrom Inc. and Johnmohammadi v. Bloomingdale’s Inc. may make challenges to class-claim waivers a thing of the past, says Lori Phillips of Sherman & Howard LLC.

• High Stakes In Play With Rule 68 Decisions

  

  This week, the Eleventh Circuit will hear appeals in two Telephone Consumer Protection Act cases centered on whether a Rule 68 offer of judgment can completely moot a class action. While the court may follow suit and adopt either the Seventh Circuit or Ninth Circuit rule, the door is open for a decision that changes the class action landscape, say David Carpenter and James Cash of Alston & Bird LLP.

• In Mach Mining Appeal, A Search For Conciliation Model

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court, in agreeing to hear Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Mach Mining, should consider the National Labor Relations Act's model for good-faith bargaining as the Seventh Circuit’s approach toward the case arguably invites a “take-it-or-leave-it” option that could lead to litigation based on legal theories in search of supporting facts, say Steve Pearlman and Amanda Wiley of Proskauer Rose LLP.

• Courts Line Up Behind 3rd Circ.'s Ascertainability Logic

  

  Federal courts, particularly those following Third Circuit precedent, are paying more attention to the ascertainability of class members and companies in the food and beverage industries — where consumers do not typically retain receipts — should take note when challenging class certification, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody LLP.

• Your D&O Insurance Policy Post-Halliburton

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund may significantly increase defense costs at and prior to the class certification stage, so companies may wish to carefully consider their directors and officers insurance program and confirm that their policies would respond to cover expert witnesses and “event study” expenses, says Roberta Anderson of K&L Gates LLP.

• Litigator’s Perspective: 5 Tips On Arbitration Provisions

  

  It happens all the time. When a dispute arises, two parties find themselves in arbitration, realizing that they might have had more leverage to dictate the terms of the process when they were negotiating the arbitration provision — but missed the opportunity, says Daniel McCloskey of Duane Morris LLP.

• 6 Years In, Why Haven't FRE 502(d) Orders Caught On?

  

  In this e-discovery era, why aren't more litigants using Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) orders and affording themselves basic protection of their most sensitive information? Or, if they are moving for such orders, why are they doing it wrong? asks John Rosans of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

• Think Before You Transfer Your Product Liability Case

  

  Despite a decline over the past eight years, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation continues to grant far more product liability transfer motions than it denies. Considering parties' geography and preferences, among other factors, will help when advising clients with centralization and the selection of a transferee court, say attorneys at Jones Day.