June 07, 2019
An en banc Ninth Circuit on Thursday reset the standard for certifying consumer class action settlements, offering plaintiffs and defense attorneys reprieve from what they described as an unworkable standard requiring an intensive 50-state analysis of consumer protection laws.
June 06, 2019
A full Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday reinstated a $210 million settlement in multidistrict litigation over the fuel efficiency of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, rejecting objectors' challenges and overriding a split appellate panel's controversial 2018 decision nullifying the deal based on potential variations in state consumer protection laws.
January 01, 2019
Wage-and-hour lawsuits challenging the independent-contractor classification of drivers in the commercial trucking, delivery and ride-hailing industries and lawsuits concerning arbitration and class action standards are among the court battles that transportation attorneys will keep their eye on in 2019.
July 27, 2018
The full Ninth Circuit on Friday agreed to review a split three-judge panel's rejection of a $200 million settlement in multidistrict litigation over the fuel efficiency of Hyundai Motor America Inc. and Kia Motors Corp. vehicles, re-examining the issue of whether courts should be forced to weigh state law variations in nationwide deals.
July 05, 2018
A California federal judge on Tuesday paused a putative class action accusing Nature's Way Products LLC of misleading consumers about the health of its coconut oil, citing the Ninth Circuit's recent decision to ax a $200 million settlement in multidistrict litigation involving automakers Hyundai and Kia.
April 19, 2018
A California federal judge on Thursday issued a stay in the settlement proceedings for Uber's "safe rides" suit until the Ninth Circuit makes a decision on an en banc review petition for the multidistrict litigation over Hyundai Motor America Inc. and affiliate Kia Motors Inc.'s alleged misstatements about vehicle fuel efficiency.
March 09, 2018
Parties Thursday on both sides of vehicle fuel efficiency multidistrict litigation against Hyundai and Kia told the full Ninth Circuit that a panel's ruling that the lower court should have weighed variations in state laws before approving a $200 million settlement clashes with precedent and will hinder nationwide settlements.
January 24, 2018
Multistate consumer class action settlements will have to clear a higher bar before scoring approval, experts say, after the Ninth Circuit ruled that a California judge didn't thoroughly consider varying state consumer protection laws before certifying a nationwide settlement class of consumers accusing Hyundai and Kia of overstating their cars' fuel efficiency.
January 23, 2018
In what one judge called "a major blow to multistate class actions," a divided Ninth Circuit on Tuesday nixed a $200 million settlement in multidistrict litigation alleging Hyundai and Kia misstated vehicle fuel efficiency, saying a California federal judge failed to weigh variations in state law before certifying a nationwide class.