The 2012-13 Supreme Court term has been a hotbed of class action activity, with the justices set to decide at least half a dozen cases that will directly affect class action litigation. Although none of this term's decisions is likely to have the impact of the Court's recent decisions in Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes or AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, the sheer number of opinions expected this spring promises significant clarifications of some murky areas. These include:
 

  • Whether a plaintiff may defeat removal under CAFA by stipulating that he or she will not seek more than the $5 million jurisdictional threshold on behalf of the class. In Standard Fire Insurance v. Knowles, the Eighth Circuit denied permission to appeal a district court's determination that such a stipulation was sufficient, after affirming the validity of a jurisdictional stipulation in a similar case. Is the Eighth Circuit correct, or does such a stipulation improperly bind members of a class that the named plaintiff does not yet represent?
  • The extent to which the Supreme Court's 2011 decision in Wal-Mart requires courts to delve into the merits of a lawsuit when considering class certification motions. In Comcast v. Behrend, the Third Circuit affirmed the grant of class certification in an antitrust action, despite the district court's decision not to resolve disputes about the relevant market and the existence of classwide impact at the class certification stage. Instead, the Third Circuit held that it was sufficient for the court to determine that the class could establish the relevant market through common proof, that the element of antitrust impact was capable of proof through evidence common to the class, and that the plaintiffs had presented a common methodology to determine damages on a classwide basis. Does Wal-Mart, which included a footnote implying that merits inquiries are appropriate in applying Rule 23(b), require more?
  • The extent to which the plaintiff in a securities fraud class action must establish that the alleged misrepresentation was material in order to obtain class certification based on a "fraud on the market" presumption. In Amgen v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, the Ninth Circuit held that a plaintiff need only plausibly allege materiality at the class certification stage. Did the Ninth Circuit get it right, or does failure to establish materiality at the class certification stage preclude a finding that classwide issues predominate?
  • Whether a defendant renders a class action moot by offering full relief to the named plaintiff prior to class certification. In Genesis HealthCare v. Symczyk, the Third Circuit held that in a collective action brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act—which, unlike a Rule 23 class action, requires "class" members to affirmatively consent to participation in the class—an offer of judgment to the named plaintiff, though made before any other plaintiffs had "opted in," did not moot the lawsuit as to the "class." Can a defendant thwart a class action pre-certification by settling with the putative class representative, or must the Article III "case or controversy" requirement be read more broadly in class actions? And is the answer different for FLSA actions than for Rule 23 class actions?
  • Whether a class arbitration waiver can be held invalid if it prevents plaintiffs from enforcing their federal statutory rights. In In re American Express Merchants' Litigation, the Second Circuit struck down a class arbitration waiver on the ground that the waiver had the practical effect of precluding potential class members from enforcing their Sherman Act claims. Does the Supreme Court's 2011 opinion in AT&T Mobility, which held that the Federal Arbitration Act's general protection of arbitration clauses preempted a state common law unconscionability doctrine, apply more broadly, or is there an exception where the waiver might interfere with enforcement of another federal statute?
  • How specific an arbitration clause must be in order to support a finding that the parties consented to class arbitration. In Oxford Health Plans v. Sutter, the Third Circuit affirmed an arbitrator's finding that the parties had agreed to class arbitration based on a contractual provision mandating simply that "all" disputes be submitted to arbitration. Is such language sufficient for an arbitrator to find consent, or must an arbitrator infer that the parties did not contemplate class proceedings absent an explicit reference to class arbitration?

With all of these cases pending before the Court, as well as several controversial issues percolating in the lower federal courts, the first half of 2013 could be a high-water mark for class action developments. Stay tuned.

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