Eleventh Circuit Bans Incentive Payments to Lead Plaintiffs in Class Actions
Posted on Nov 5, 2020 in Class Actions | Comments Off on Eleventh Circuit Bans Incentive Payments to Lead Plaintiffs in Class Actions
In what appears to be a first, the Eleventh Circuit recently held that federal law prohibits so-called “incentive payments” to class representatives, even as part of an agreed settlement. The court acknowledged that it was forging a new path in Johnson v. NPAS Solutions, LLC, 975 F.3d 1244, 1248–49 (11th Cir. 2020)—identifying errors that it said had “become commonplace in everyday...
Bankruptcy Preemption/Preclusion Defense Does Not Preclude Class Certification in FDCPA/FCCPA Case
Posted on Nov 5, 2019 in Bankruptcy | Comments Off on Bankruptcy Preemption/Preclusion Defense Does Not Preclude Class Certification in FDCPA/FCCPA Case
In an opinion vacating a district court order denying class certification, the Eleventh Circuit held that whether the Bankruptcy Code precludes and/or preempts the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1962 et seq., and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (“FCCPA”), Fla. Stat. § 559.55 et seq., raised issues common to all class members. Sellers v....
Rule 23(f) Petitions to Eleventh Circuit
Posted on Apr 18, 2019 in Class Actions | Comments Off on Rule 23(f) Petitions to Eleventh Circuit
One question that Eleventh Circuit litigants often ask is how likely the court is to grant a Rule 23(f) petition for interlocutory review of a class certification decision. Litigants who have been on the wrong end of a class certification decision ask this question with particular urgency because an interlocutory appeal—before the trial on the merits—can often save a case. Defendants...
SCOTUS Business Cases This Term (Part 1 – Class Actions)
Posted on Oct 8, 2018 in Class Actions, Court News | Comments Off on SCOTUS Business Cases This Term (Part 1 – Class Actions)
The Supreme Court’s October term is underway, and the Court has before it several class-action cases. Frank v. Gaos concerns the permissibility of cy pres relief in class action settlements; Home Depot v. Jackson the ability of a defendant in the original action to remove the action under CAFA; and Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert the availability of equitable exceptions to the...
Employees May Join FLSA Collective Action With Rule 23 Class Action in Same Proceeding
Posted on Sep 30, 2016 in Class Actions | Comments Off on Employees May Join FLSA Collective Action With Rule 23 Class Action in Same Proceeding
The Eleventh Circuit has joined the D.C., Second, Third, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits in holding that employees may bring a collective action against their employer under § 216(b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (“FLSA”) in the same proceeding in which they seek Rule 23(b) certification of state-law claims. Calderone v. Scott, 2016 WL 5403589 (11th Cir. Sept. 28, 2016). The...