Counsel

OPINION: SCOTUS Hasn’t Looked at Class Action Settlement in 17 Years. Time to Revisit?

The last time the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a challenge to an approved class action settlement, AOL ruled the Internet, Bill Clinton was president and Donald Trump was months away from considering a run for the presidency in an October 1999 interview with Larry King. It was a long time ago, in other words. The National Football League and plaintiffs’ lawyers representing a …


VW’s ‘Clean Diesel’ Settlement Prioritizes Attorneys’ Interests Over Harmed Consumers

In this Thursday, April 21, 2016, file photo, Joyce Ertel Hulbert, owner of a 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI, holds a sign while interviewed outside the of the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco. A federal judge in San Francisco is facing a deadline on whether to approve a nearly 5 billion deal over Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal that gives most affected car owners the option …


Opinion: Courts Should Stop Approving Unfair Class Action Settlements

Class actions play a vital role in our legal system. These lawsuits are often the only vehicle for injured plaintiffs to receive compensation when a defendant’s wrongs are widely disbursed and it would be impractical for a single individual to sue. Yet the process of settling these suits is subject to perverse incentives on the part of the lawyers representing the injured parties.




The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Announces Proposed Class Action Settlement on Behalf of Purchasers of Common Stock of Electronic Game Card, Inc.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2016 — The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. announces that the United States District Court for the Central District of California Southern Division has approved the following announcement of a proposed class action settlement that would benefit purchasers of common stock of Electronic Game Card, Inc.: SUMMARY NOTICE OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT TO: ALL PERSONS WHO PURCHASED THE …



Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP and Motley Rice LLC Announce Proposed Settlement of Class Action Lawsuit Involving Purchasers of St. Jude Medical, Inc. Common Stock

ALL PERSONS OR ENTITIES WHO PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED ST. JUDE MEDICAL, INC. COMMON STOCK DURING THE PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 5, 2010 THROUGH NOVEMBER 20, 2012, AND WHO WERE DAMAGED THEREBY (THE “CLASS”).1 Certain persons and entities are excluded from the definition of the Class as set forth in detail in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated July 7, 2016 (the “Stipulation”) …


Judge Orders Lawyers Who Won ‘Happy Birthday’ Lawsuit Get $4.62 Million, Too

Last September, federal judge George King ruled that “Happy Birthday to You,” the iconic song sung at children’s parties everywhere daily, was not subject to copyright protection as previously thought. Now free from the grasp of music publishing company Warner Chappell, it’s free to be used by anyone, anywhere, for any purpose, with only a specific arrangement covered by the 1035 copyright …


Seventh Circuit Brands Disclosure-Only Settlement a “Racket” and Endorses Delaware Court of Chancery’s Stricter Standard for Approval of Disclosure-Only Settlements

In a 2-1 decision, the Seventh Circuit has joined the Delaware Court of Chancery’s call for enhanced scrutiny of “disclosure-only” M&A settlements that involve no monetary benefits to shareholders. As previously discussed here, M&A litigation, typically alleging breach of fiduciary duty by directors and insufficient disclosures, often ends in settlement, with defendants agreeing to provide …