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News & Developments »

Supreme Court Takes Middle Road in Halliburton Decision

The chief justice's opinion avoids embracing the fraud-on-the market presumption established in Basic v. Levinson.

Eleventh Circuit: Jurisdictional "Amount in Controversy" May Be Based on Claims That May Lack Merit

The court reiterates that district courts—except in rare circumstances—should not evaluate a plaintiff's likelihood of success.

Ninth Circuit: Prison System's Health Care Policies Violate Civil Rights

Certification of a class of Arizona inmates was upheld.

Articles »

Class Actions 101: Frequently Asked Questions about Class Discovery

By Matthew M.K. Stein

Know the strategic approaches to take during your first class action.

 

Class-Representative Adequacy: Preparing for and Responding to Attacks on Plaintiffs

By Anna P. Prakash

Counsel should be mindful of potential attacks on a client's adequacy and the client's potential responses.

A Discovery Checklist for Defeating Certification on Adequacy Grounds

By Damian Santomauro, Melissa DeHonney, and Caroline Oks

Learn how to test whether a plaintiff and counsel can "fairly and adequately" represent the putative class.

Sound Advice »

Multidistrict Litigation Process

By Greg Cook

If you are involved in a multidistrict litigation case it may seem overwhelming—but fear not. Listen as veteran litigator Greg Cook explains the process and rules regarding the Multidistrict Litigation Panel (MDL Panel). (8:12 min)

Numerosity as It Pertains to Class Certification

By Kathryn Honecker

Rule 23(a) has four elements that must be proven prior to class certification. Listen as Kathryn Honecker explains salient points of one of the elements—numerosity. (14:17 min)

Understanding the Demand Futility Exception

By Jeff Gardner

Hear as Jeff Gardner explains how this exception works and the ways in which it may affect your clients. (8:54 min)

 

Roundtables »

Hey, CAFA, Is That a Class Action?: Mississippi ex rel Hood v. AU Optronics

This Roundtable examines the holding in this newly announced decision—and examines what the holding may mean for future parens patriae actions—and for other types of quasi-class actions or mass actions. It also examines the strategy impact of this new decision. (56:12)

 

The Supreme Court’s First Decision on the Class Action Fairness Act: Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Knowles

The Supreme Court has issued its first decision interpreting the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA). In a unanimous decision, the Court held that, prior to certification, a named plaintiff’s stipulation that the putative class would not seek more than $5 million did not defeat jurisdiction under CAFA. (1:01:03)

Announcements »

Upcoming CADS Event

Join the CADS committee on June 19 in San Francisco for Who's in Charge Here?: The Role of Lawyers, Clients, Insurers, and Judges in Class Actions and Mass Tort Litigation.

 

Next CADS Bimonthly Conference Call

Our next conference call is on May 20, 2014, at 3 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Central/1 p.m. Mountain/12 p.m. Pacific. The new dial-in number is 800-504-8071, and the conference code is 7765933.

A Brief Guide to Removal

Matthew M.K. Stein and Abra C. Bron have provided a brief guide to the statutes governing federal jurisdiction and removal and related interpretative case law.

CADS Committee Updates Survey of State Law

The committee recently published its updated state law class action survey. The book is an excellent tool for in-house and outside counsel who litigate class actions in state forums.