Here’s the situation: You’re facing a class action in federal court in which the plaintiffs define the putative class so broadly as to encompass many people who weren’t injured by the alleged wrongdoing. For example, consider a false-advertising class action on behalf of “all purchasers” of a product that the vast majority of purchasers would… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Typicality
Subscribe to Typicality RSS FeedSupreme Court Denies Review In NECA-IBEW Case
Posted in Adequacy, Class Certification, Commonality, Predominance, Securities, TypicalityWe’ve been blogging about the Second Circuit’s decision in NECA-IBEW Health & Welfare Fund v. Goldman Sachs (pdf), which held that a named plaintiff in a securities fraud suit might have standing in some situations to assert class action claims regarding securities that he or she never purchased. Yesterday, the Supreme Court denied (pdf) Goldman’s petition… Continue Reading
Class Certification Denied in Skinnygirl False-Advertising Case Because Class Representative Didn’t Rely on Label
Posted in Adequacy, Class Certification, TypicalityPlaintiff Christopher Rapczynski testified that he purchased Skinnygirl Margarita mix “because I love my wife,” she “said she liked it,” and she “has my three children and works very hard.” Those all may be good reasons for a nice Valentine’s Day present, but not for bringing a class action. As the Southern District of New… Continue Reading
Class Action Plaintiffs Can’t Have It Both Ways When Opposing Motions to Compel Arbitration
Posted in Arbitration, Class Certification, Motions Practice, Numerosity, Predominance, TypicalityIn litigation—as in war—it is natural to focus on winning today’s skirmish and to defer planning for battles that might not happen for weeks or months. But that shortsightedness can lead to strategic blunders—as one class action plaintiff suing Capital One Bank and credit counseling agency InCharge Debt Solutions recently learned the hard way. In King… Continue Reading