Member Blogs

For decades, Plaintiffs and defendants have fought bitterly over most aspects of class-action law.  One issue, however, had managed to escape serious contention: the propriety of paying “incentive awards” (also known as “service awards”) to class representatives.  Broadly speaking, such awards are sums paid to named plaintiffs—above and beyond what they receive as ordinary class [...]

In a highly anticipated decision, the Supreme Court of Canada (the “SCC”) in Barendregt v Grebliunas, 2022 SCC 22 confirmed the appropriate test for admitting additional evidence on appeal. This decision confirms that the long-standing test set out in R.v. Palmer, [1980] 1 SCR 759, applies both to evidence that existed at the time of trial but was not adduced at that ...

In an opinion that is the first of its kind in the California appellate courts, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 7, has ruled that certain COVID-19-related business losses may be covered by business-interruption insurance (BII) policy provisions.  Marina Pacific Hotels & Suites, LLC v. Fireman’s Fund Ins., No. B316501, 2022 WL 2711886 (Cal. […] The post Appellate Court Issues Groundbreaking COVID Insurance Coverage Opinion in Favor of Policyholders first appeared on Appellate Insight.

Biometric class actions have proliferated in recent years — and with more states eyeing comprehensive data privacy legislation, companies that use biometric data should plan for the surge to grow. With rare exceptions, these cases end either in settlement or via a successful dispositive motion. In this post, we will discuss some of the trends... Continue Reading

If you’re litigating a putative class action in federal court and get a class certification order that is adverse to your client (whether plaintiff or defense), you may petition to take an immediate appeal of that order.  Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(f). The petition to appeal must be filed quickly—within 14 days.  Id.  The short turnaround time … Continue reading Federal Class Action Appeals – What’s the Deadline to Petition to Appeal When a Motion for Reconsideration Is Filed? → The post Federal Class Action Appeals – What’s the Deadline to Petition to Appeal When a Motion for Reconsiderat...