Class Actions Jurisdiction Massachusetts Decisions
May 6, 2022 / January 3, 2023 by Don Frederico
Over the past 25 years, I have had the good fortune of getting to know and working with both plaintiff and defendant class action lawyers from many states, and to teach class action practice in dozens of local and national CLE programs and at a great law school. I also have represented clients in class […]
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Class Actions Class Notice Massachusetts Decisions
April 19, 2022 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
The Backdrop Class actions are like butterflies; they must undergo a metamorphosis before they fly. The transformation occurs when a court grants class certification. At that instant, what had started out as an individual lawsuit emerges as its own entity, with a number of legal consequences flowing from the change. Among them, plaintiff’s counsel becomes […]
Consumer Class Actions Litigation
May 6, 2020 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
One fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic is a national wave of class action lawsuits against universities, including some schools located in New England. To read more about the cases and our thoughts about the universities’ defenses, please see this client alert we published today.
Class Action Settlements
June 23, 2019 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
Most class actions resemble three-act plays. In the first act, the players are adversaries – fighting to kill the case or keep it alive, and if kept alive, to keep it limited to a solitary dispute or allow it to burgeon into the combined claim of large numbers of absent parties. If the case survives […]
Class Certifications Employment Class Actions Massachusetts Decisions
April 15, 2019 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
Every now and then a case comes along that rewards us class action nerds with an embarrassment of riches. Gammella v. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc., decided last week by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, is one such case. In it, the Court addressed a number of important class certification issues, some unique to Massachusetts […]
Tagged
April 11, 2019 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
Having heard good things about it for years, last month I finally got around to reading Dr. Atul Gawande’s book, The Checklist Manifesto, and have begun to give some thought regarding its application to class action practice. Proposed class action settlements are currently occupying much of my time, and my usual practice when drafting the […]
Antitrust Class Actions Class Certifications First Circuit Decisions Jurisdiction
November 6, 2018 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
In his October 17th post, Josh Dunlap describes in detail the First Circuit’s landmark ruling in In re Asacol Antitrust Litigation concerning classes that include uninjured members. As Josh points out, although the district court had referred to ascertainability in its decision certifying the class, the First Circuit opinion reversing class certification did not, and for good reason. […]
Supreme Court
June 11, 2018 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
In an opinion authored by Justice Ginsburg and joined by all of the Justices (though with only a concurrence from Justice Sotomayor), the Supreme Court today ruled that its 1974 ruling in American Pipe & Constr. Co. v. Utah does not toll the statute of limitations for successive class actions. Justice Ginsburg summarized the Court’s holding as […]
Consumer Class Actions Jurisdiction Massachusetts Decisions
March 30, 2018 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
On March 6th, in Silva v. Todisco Services, Inc., Judge Kenneth Salinger, sitting in the Business Litigation Session of the Massachusetts Superior Court, held that a defendant’s tendering of the maximum amount of damages a plaintiff might recover in a putative class action did not moot either the plaintiff’s individual claims or the claims of […]
Arbitration Class Arbitration Consumer Class Actions Legislation
November 14, 2017 / January 12, 2023 by Don Frederico
Much has been said and written about Congress’ rejection of the CFPB proposal to ban class action waivers in arbitration agreements between consumers and financial services companies. One of the most frequent statements I have heard from some politicians in the media is that Congress has voted to ban class actions against banks. As is […]
