Ninth Circuit

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A recent Ninth Circuit decision held that both named and unnamed class members in a class seeking monetary damages must come forward with sufficient evidence of Article III standing at the summary judgment stage—not merely at a later claims or distribution process. This gives defendants a powerful tool in defending class actions after they are…

When a class action is removed to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), plaintiffs sometimes amend their pleadings to try to defeat federal jurisdiction. The recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision in Faulk v. JELD-WEN, Inc., 2025 WL 3183012 (9th Cir. Nov. 14, 2025), addresses how post-removal…

A recent Ninth Circuit decision reconciled other decisions within that circuit involving auto insurance total losses, concluding that individual questions predominated and therefore affirming the district court’s denial of class certification. The dissent, however, called for en banc review, suggesting that an intra-circuit split exists.

In Ambrosio v. Progressive Preferred Insurance Company, – F.

Some data breach class actions settle quickly, with one of two settlement structures: (1) a “claims made” structure, in which the total amount paid to class members who submit valid claims is not capped, and attorneys’ fees are awarded by the court and paid separately by the defendant; or (2) a “common fund” structure, in…

A recent Ninth Circuit decision highlights the importance of the defendant clearly pleading the basis for alleging the amount in controversy in a notice of removal under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA). In this case, after the defendant prevailed on a summary judgment motion and the plaintiff appealed, the Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded…

A recent Ninth Circuit decision illustrates how defendants can use evidence on an individualized defense to potentially defeat class certification.

In Van v. LLR, Inc., — F.4th –, 2023 WL 2469909 (9th Cir. Mar. 13, 2023), the defendant allegedly charged sales tax that was not owed by Alaska purchasers on online purchases. While the…

A sometimes-overlooked aspect of class action law is how class certification rules interact with the Rules Enabling Act, which provides that rules of procedure and evidence “shall not abridge, enlarge or modify any substantive right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2072(b). Some class actions attempt to use the class action device to evade obstacles to obtaining individual…

A recent Ninth Circuit decision on a class action settlement, In re Apple Inc. Device Performance Litigation, 2022 WL 4492078 (9th Cir. Sept. 28, 2022), received significant attention in the legal media. It addressed several issues of significance to lawyers negotiating class settlements: (1) class representative incentive awards; (2) a requirement that class members…

The Ninth Circuit recently addressed an issue that tends to arise frequently in class certification motion practice: how trial courts should apply the predominance requirement where appellate decisions have said that the need to calculate individualized damages generally is not sufficient on its own to defeat class certification, but some putative class members likely have…