Defending Class Actions Using Absent Class Member Discovery

41 Pages·2015·2.25 MB·English

by  Erika Simon

Presenting a live 90-minute webinar with interactive Q&A
Defending Class Actions Using
Absent Class Member Discovery
Evaluating Whether to Seek Discovery of Putative Class Members;
Leveraging Evidence at Certification, Settlement and Trial

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015
1pm Eastern | 12pm Central | 11am Mountain | 10am Pacific
Today’s faculty features:
Wystan M. Ackerman, Partner, Robinson & Cole, Hartford, Conn.
Andrew J. Trask, Counsel, McGuire Woods, London, England
Jeffrey M. Wagner, Partner, Kaye Scholer, Chicago
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Discovery of Absent Class Members:
Governing Law
Andrew Trask
McGuireWoods London LLP
[phone]
[email protected]

5
The Stakes
 Need for complete discovery

 VERSUS

 Burden on non-parties to litigation.
6
So type of case matters.
 Absent class member discovery tends to be limited in
employment cases. (Risk of coercion/chilling high.)
 Tends to be more acceptable in consumer cases. (Risk of
coercion/chilling low.)

7
Formal discovery is subset of
communications
Each side has  Gulf Oil Co. v. Bernard, 452
U.S. 89 (1981) (bans on
the right to communication with class
members disfavored).
communicate
 EEOC v. Mitsubishi Motor
with putative
Mfg. of Am., 102 F.3d 869
(7th Cir. 1996) (Easterbrook,
class members.
J.) (referring to each
party’s “right” to
communicate with absent
class members).

8
Standard for communication
with absent class members
 Court may not restrict  Gulf Oil Co. v. Bernard, 452
communications “without a U.S. 89 (1981) (quoting Coles
specific record showing by v. Marsh, 560 F.2d 186, 189
the moving party of the (3d Cir. 1977) (emphasis
particular abuses by which it added).
is threatened. Moreover, the
district court must find that

the showing provides a
satisfactory basis for relief
 See also Adair v. EQT
and that the relief sought
Production Co., 2011 U.S.
would be consistent with the
Dist. LEXIS 110512 (W.D. Va.
policies of Rule 23 giving
Sep. 28, 2011) (reversing MJ
explicit consideration to the
order regulating
narrowest possible relief
communication where no
which would protect the
specific showing).
respective parties."

9
General standard for formal
discovery
 Proponent must  Clark v. Universal Builders,
Inc., 501 F.2d 324, 340-41
show
(7th Cir. 1974).
 (1) No improper
 Arrendondo v. Delano
motive
Farms Co., 1:09-cv-01247,
 (2) Necessity 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145562,
*12-13 (E.D. Cal. Oct. 10,
 (3) Minimal
2014).
burden/need for
counsel

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