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Plaintiffs routinely bring consumer class actions under statutes that allow only consumers—not businesses—to bring claims, or that are limited to transactions solely for personal or household purposes. See, e.g., Electronic Funds Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1693a(2); Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. § 2606(a)(1); California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 1780. But in some cases, the “consumer” requirement can be the Achilles’ heel for class certification. If it is difficult to determine whether a particular customer is a “consumer” without individualized inquiries, a proposed class action may flunk the predominance,…
Continue Reading Use the “Consumer” in Consumer Class Actions to Defeat Certification

We recently reported on a class settlement in which no members of the class submitted claims.  The plaintiffs in that case contended that the defendant violated the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) by failing to post a notice on its ATMs that consumers would be charged a fee for using the machines.

More recently, in another case involving the same kind of alleged violation, Ballard v. Branch Banking & Trust Co. (pdf), Judge Ellen Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia refused to certify a class, concluding that, under the circumstances, a class action failed Rule…
Continue Reading Lawyer-Driven Class Action Challenging ATM Fee Notices Flunks Superiority Requirement