As data-breach class actions have become increasingly frequent in recent years, courts continue to grapple with whether, and to what extent, these cases meet the requirements for certification of a damages class under Rule 23(b)(3). In its latest such case, Green-Cooper v. Brinker Int’l, Inc., No. 21-13146, 73 F. 4th 883 (July 11, 2023), the…
Tag: Judge Gerald Tjoflat
Class Certification in Consumer-Fraud Case Depends on What Evidence—if Any—Is Required to Establish Reliance Under State Law
The Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded class certification of most claims brought by a group of consumers who alleged their Ford Mustang Shelby GT350s were not “track ready” as advertised. The court’s decision in Tershakovec v. Ford Motor Company, No. 22-10575, — F.4th —, 2023 WL 4377585 (11th Cir. July 7, 2023), focused on the…
No Right to Interlocutory Appeal of Order Compelling Insurance Appraisal
A divided Eleventh Circuit panel held that an order compelling an appraisal under an insurance policy provision and staying the litigation pending the appraisal’s outcome is not appealable of right. Positano Place at Naples I Condo Ass’n, Inc. v. Empire Indemnity Insurance Co., 2023 WL 3730876 (11th Cir. May 31, 2023)…
Declaratory Judgment Did Not Extinguish Right to Demand Prejudgment Interest Under Georgia Law
In FDIC v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 23203 (11th Cir. Aug. 19, 2022), the Eleventh Circuit held that a demand for prejudgment interest made after entry of a declaratory judgment was timely under Georgia law. The FDIC, as receiver for Omni National Bank, sued some of Omni’s former officers…
Equitable Estoppel Unavailable to Require Reimbursement from Treasury of Taxes Paid Under Protest
In Affordable Bio Feedstock, Inc. v United States, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 20577 (11th Cir. July 26, 2022), the Eleventh Circuit held that the taxpayer was not eligible for reimbursement of protest payments made to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) because “payments of money from the Federal Treasury are limited to those authorized by statute.”…
Eleventh Circuit Upholds “Floating” Forum Selection Clause
In AFC Franchising, LLC v. Purugganan, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 22323 (11th Cir. Aug. 11, 2022), the Eleventh Circuit held that an individual consented to personal jurisdiction and venue by agreeing to a “floating” forum selection clause. Danilo Purugganan entered into a “Master Developer Agreement” with Doctors Express Franchising in 2009. The parties agreed that…
Settlement Class Defined to Include Uninjured Members Cannot Be Approved
An appeal concerning the meaning of coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act instead produced an important opinion, Drazen v. Pinto, 2022 LEXIS 20766 (11th Cir. July 27, 2022), addressing the certification of classes that are defined to include members who have not been injured. Some background may be helpful in understanding the ruling….
Panel Invites Full Court to Revisit Grounds on Which International Arbitration Awards Can Be Vacated
In Corporacion AIC, SA v. Hidroelectrica Santa Rita S.A., 34 F.4th 1290 (11th Cir. 2022), a panel of the Eleventh Circuit urged the full court to reconsider its holding in Inversiones y Procesadora Tropical INPROTSA, S.A. v. Del Monte International GmbH, 921 F.3d 1291 (11th Cir. 2019), and to add to the grounds on which…
Increased Risk of Identity Theft Cannot Establish Article III Standing in Data Breach Cases
The Eleventh Circuit has now taken a stand on whether a substantial risk of identity theft, fraud, and other future harm constitutes Article III standing in data breach cases. Tsao v. Captiva MVP Rest. Partners, LLC, 2021 WL 381948 (11th Cir. Feb. 4, 2021). In an opinion authored by Senior Judge Tjoflat, the Eleventh Circuit…
A Sticky Situation: Epoxy Company Is Stuck With Evidence of Intent to Copy, and Evidence of Actual Confusion
The interplay between circumstantial evidence under the Lanham Act’s substantive law of trade dress infringement and the rules for summary judgment was at issue in J-B Weld Co. v. Gorilla Glue Co., 2020 WL 6144561 (11th Cir. Oct. 20, 2020). In J-B Weld,all three judges agreed that the district court erred in entering summary judgment…