DOCSLIB.ORG

Summary Judgment Or Settlement In

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Summary Judgment Or Settlement In EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ELIOT N. KOLERS STIKEMAN ELLIOTT LLP Volume 9 Number 3 March 2015 IN THIS ISSUE FIGHT OR FLIGHT: SUMMARY JUDGMENT Most class actions result in settlements. OR SETTLEMENT IN CLASS ACTIONS However, with the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent ruling in Hryniak breathing new life nationally into summary judgment, class action counsel now have another tool at their disposal that may provide an effective means to bringing class actions to a cost-effective and timely resolution on the merits. Monique Jilesen and Julia Brown of Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP consider the possible advantages of summary judgment and the risk of the settlement approval process in class actions………………....29 Monique Jilesen Julia Brown PARTNER ASSOCIATE Despite an unusual decrease in class LENCZNER SLAGHT ROYCE SMITH GRIFFIN LLP LENCZNER SLAGHT ROYCE SMITH GRIFFIN LLP action activity in Alberta this past year, a significant ruling emanating from the interplay between class actions and With a low threshold for certification, a defendant facing a class action third-party claims (and the tension has a number of tactical decisions to make from a cost, legal, and reputa- between them) was released. Michael Mestinsek, Brandon Mewhort and David tional perspective. In order to manage the cost and reputational issues, Price of Stikeman Elliott LLP analyze defendants have arguably too often been choosing to settle class actions the decision in Harrison v. XL Foods and that could have been successfully defended on the merits. The Supreme its possible impact, all within the context of the recent class action landscape in Court has recently breathed new life into another tool for defendants in Alberta…………………………………..35 class actions to consider—summary judgment.1 Rather than focusing one’s efforts on defending certification or achieving an early settlement, defendants can consider dealing with the action on its merits in a sum- mary judgment motion. CLASS ACTION DEFENCE QUARTERLY • Volume 9 • Number 3 Summary Judgment—A Merits-Based Class Action Defence Quarterly Final Adjudication Class Action Defence Quarterly is published four times per year The Supreme Court’s decision in Hryniak v. by LexisNexis Canada Inc., 123 Commerce Valley Drive East, Markham, Ont., L3T 7W8, and is available by subscription Mauldin [Hryniak] has changed the landscape for only. summary judgment motions in civil actions. In Web site: www.lexisnexis.ca Hryniak, the Supreme Court endorsed a cultural Subscribe to: [email protected] shift away from full trials and towards summary Design and compilation © LexisNexis Canada Inc. 2015. Unless otherwise stated, copyright in hearings where there is no genuine issue for trial.2 individual articles rests with the contributors. An emphasis on the need for adjudication to be ISBN 0-433-45401-6 ISSN 1911-2270 proportionate, timely, and affordable pervades the ISBN 0-433-45403-2 ISSN 1911-2289 judgment. ISBN 0-433-45406-7 (print & PDF) Subscription rates: $335.00 (print or PDF) It is axiomatic that one of the purposes of the Class $460.00 (print & PDF) 3 Proceeding Act, 1992 is to provide access to jus- 4 Editor-in-Chief: tice. Ontario judges urge upon the parties in class Eliot N. Kolers actions a reasonable and timely resolution of dis- Firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP Tel.: (416) 869-5637 putes. Justice Belobaba held in a series of costs E-mail: [email protected] awards that in the case of certification motions, LexisNexis Editor: “excess appears to be the norm in every aspect of Boris Roginsky LexisNexis Canada Inc. the process—in the time spent by legal counsel, the Tel.: (905) 479-2665 ext. 308 Fax: (905) 479-2826 volume of material filed with the court, the number E-mail: [email protected] of days scheduled for the oral hearing and the over- Advisory Board: litigation of most issues”.5 An early and summary The Honourable Warren K. Winkler, former Chief Justice adjudication of all or part of the claim through of Ontario • The Honourable Neil Wittmann, Chief Justice, Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta • Kathryn Chalmers, summary judgment should address these issues of Stikeman Elliott LLP • Donald Chernichen, Burnet, concern to the court by providing for the considera- Duckworth & Palmer LLP • Craig Dennis, Dentons • Rodney L. Hayley, Lawson Lundell LLP / University of Victoria • tion of the claim on its merits rather than under the Marianne Ignacz, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP • auspices of certification. Patricia Jackson, Torys LLP • Adrian C. Lang, BMO Financial Group • William L. (Mick) Ryan, Stewart Parties to class actions can and should consider re- McKelvey • Jean Saint-Onge, Lavery, de Billy LLP • Christine Mohr, Department of Justice, Ontario Regional sort to motions for summary judgment for a timely Office and cost-effective resolution of the dispute. As Note: This Quarterly solicits manuscripts for consideration by described by Justice Perell in Fehr v. Sun Life the Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to reject any manuscript or to publish it in revised form. The articles Assurance Co. of Canada [Fehr], either party might included in Class Action Defence Quarterly reflect the views of wish to “spare themselves the expense of the certi- the individual authors. This Quarterly is not intended to provide legal or other professional advice and readers should not act fication motion, lengthy and expensive examina- on the information contained in this Quarterly without seeking tions for discovery, and expensive pre-trial specific independent advice on the particular matters with which they are concerned. procedures when a procedurally fair merits-based 30 CLASS ACTION DEFENCE QUARTERLY • Volume 9 • Number 3 summary judgment motion can be structured before that province’s Summary Trial rule [Player].12 The certification”.6 proposed class alleged that the five corporate de- Since the release of Hryniak, several summary fendants manufactured fentanyl patches whose de- judgment motions have been brought in class action fective design resulted in serious harm to users. proceedings.7 In Fehr, Perell J. embraced the cul- Two defendants sought judgment through a sum- tural shift called for by the Supreme Court in mary trial on the basis that their patches were of a Hryniak, and based his order dismissing the plain- different design from those complained of by the tiff’s request for a further affidavit of documents, in plaintiffs. part, on that decision. He stated that Hryniak “de- In its lengthy decision the Supreme Court consid- mands a proportionate procedure”.8 Intuitively, ered expert evidence, as well as testimony by pro- cases that are amenable to certification ought to be posed class members, and determined that it was similarly amenable to a motion for summary judg- possible to find the necessary facts to decide the ment (on the part of the plaintiff or defendant), be- case on summary trial.13 The Supreme Court found cause the certification of common issues would that while pre-certification summary determina- suggest that the dispute could be resolved in a tions ought to be treated carefully, there was noth- summary manner without significant credibility ing to suggest that they were not appropriate in the issues or differing factual records.9 right case.14 In Magill v. Expedia, Inc.,10 the defendant on-line Motions for summary judgment in which a defend- travel company sought summary judgment of the ant enjoys partial success may also provide a sig- breach of contract class action on the merits. The nificant advantage to defendants, as these motions facts of the case were not in dispute. The defen- may narrow issues for trial and lead class counsel dant’s arguments were based on contractual inter- to reconsider what remains of the merits of the pretation. The case provides a good example of a case. successful motion for summary judgment brought Two recent cases illustrate the potential benefits of post-certification, finally disposing of the claims a motion for summary judgment. In 1250264 brought forward by the representative plaintiff. Ontario Inc. v. Pet Valu, the Superior Court al- Neither party had argued that it was not an appro- lowed the defendant’s motion for summary judg- priate case for summary judgment. Justice Perell ment on most of the seven common issues in a concluded that the evidentiary record before the certified class action.15 In supplementary reasons, Superior Court was more than adequate to decide Belobaba J. answered the two outstanding common 11 whether there were any genuine issues for a trial. issues largely in favour of the plaintiff. However, The Superior Court ultimately accepted the defend- given the narrow nature of the plaintiff’s remaining ant’s contractual interpretation, and the action was case, it appears that the damages corresponding to dismissed in its entirety. the plaintiff’s remaining claim could be determined Player v. Janssen-Ortho Inc., a recent case from the without the need for extensive submissions,16 great- British Columbia Supreme Court, is an example of ly reducing costs to the defendant, as compared a pre-certification summary determination under to a full-blown trial of the action. Looking at the •31 CLASS ACTION DEFENCE QUARTERLY • Volume 9 • Number 3 complex procedural history of the Pet Valu class cost and reputational issues, even in cases where action, with perfect hindsight, one might reconsider the merits of the claim are questionable. Most class whether a consent certification on agreed-upon actions settle,21 but it is urged upon defendants to common issues and an early motion for summary consider whether an early settlement is the best re- judgment might have ended up with the same re- sult that can be achieved. In considering the best sult, at lower cost to the parties.17 Of course, this route, defendants should consider that not all set- works only in hindsight, and counsel for the parties tlements will be approved and some settlement ap- could not have anticipated either the low bar for provals may prove to be more costly than any certification or the Supreme Court’s push for sum- benefit received as a result of the settlement.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Examples of Meritorious Summary Judgment Motions
    Examples of meritorious summary judgment motions By: Douglas H. Wilkins and Daniel I. Small February 13, 2020 Our last two columns addressed the real problem of overuse of summary judgment. Underuse is vanishingly rare. Even rarer (perhaps non-existent) is the case in which underuse ends up making a difference in the long run. But there are lessons to be learned by identifying cases in which you really should move for summary judgment. It is important to provide a reference point for evaluating the wisdom of filing a summary judgment motion. Here are some non-exclusive examples of good summary judgment candidates. Unambiguous written document: Perhaps the most common subject matter for a successful summary judgment motion is the contracts case or collections matter in which the whole dispute turns upon the unambiguous terms of a written note, contract, lease, insurance policy, trust or other document. See, e.g. United States Trust Co. of New York v. Herriott, 10 Mass. App. Ct. 131 (1980). The courts have said, quite generally, that “interpretation of the meaning of a term in a contract” is a question of law for the court. EventMonitor, Inc. v. Leness, 473 Mass. 540, 549 (2016). That doesn’t mean all questions of contract interpretation — just the unambiguous language. When the language of a contract is ambiguous, it is for the fact-finder to ascertain and give effect to the intention of the parties. See Acushnet Company v. Beam, Inc., 92 Mass. App. Ct. 687, 697 (2018). Ambiguous contracts are therefore not fodder for summary judgment. Ironically, there may be some confusion about what “unambiguous” means.
    [Show full text]
  • Trial Process in Virginia
    te Trial Process In Virginia A Litigation Boutique THE TRIAL PROCESS IN VIRGINIA table of contents Overview . .3 Significant .MOtiOnS .in .virginia . .4 . Plea .in .Bar . .4 . DeMurrer. .5 . craving .Oyer . .5 Voir .Dire . anD .Jury .SelectiOn .in .virginia . .6 OPening .StateMent . .8 the .receiPt .Of .e viDence . .10 MOtiOnS .tO .Strike . the .eviDence . .12 crOSS-exaMinatiOn . .14 clOSing .arguMent. .15 Jury .inStructiOnS . .17 Making .a .recOrD .fOr .aPP eal . .17 tiMe .liMitS .fOr .nO ting .anD .Perfecting . an .aPPeal . .18 key .tiMe .liMit S .fOr . the .SuPreMe .cOurt .Of .virginia . .19 THE TRIAL PROCESS IN VIRGINIA overview The trial of a civil case in Virginia takes most of its central features from the English court system that was introduced into the “Virginia Colony” in the early 1600s. The core principles of confrontation, the right to a trial by one’s peers, hearsay principles and many other doctrines had already been originated, extensively debated and refined in English courts and Inns of Court long before the first gavel fell in a Virginia case. It is clearly a privilege to practice law in the historically important court system of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and everyone who “passes the bar” and earns the right to sit inside the well of the court literally follows in the footsteps of such groundbreaking pioneers as Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, George Wythe, John Marshall, Lewis Powell and Oliver Hill. However, this booklet is not designed to address either the history or the policy of the law, or to discuss the contributions of these and other legal giants whose legacy is the living system that we enjoy today as professional attorneys.
    [Show full text]
  • The Analysis and Decision of Summary Judgment Motions· a Monograph on Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
    If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. The Analysis and Decision of Summary Judgment Motions· A Monograph on Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure \f1 (»" It Judicial Center ~ ~ The Federal Judicial Center Board The Chief Justice of the United States, Chairman Judge Edward R. Becker U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judge Martin L. C. Feldman U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Judge Diana E. Murphy U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota Judge David D. Dowd, Jr. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Judge Sidney B. Brooks U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado Honorable 1. Ralph Mecham Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Director Judge William W Schwarzer Deputy Director Russell R. Wheeler Division Directors Steven A. Wolvek, Court Education Division Denis J. Hauptly, Judicial Education Division Sylvan A. Sobel, Publications & Media Division William B. Eldridge, Research Division Federal Judicial Center, 1520 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005 1 ~•. ~ .. ~:' i ' NCJRS· MAR 4 199? ACQUISITIONS The Analysis and Decision of Summary Judgment Motions A Monograph on Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure William W Schwarzer Alan Hirsch David J. Barrans Federal Judicial Center 1991 This publication was produced in furtherance of the Center's statutory mis­ sion to conduct and stimulate research and development on matters of judi­ cial administration. The statements, conclusions, and points of view are those of the authors.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is a Summary Judgment Motion? Notice for Parties Who Do Not Have a Lawyer
    What is a Summary Judgment Motion? Notice for Parties Who Do Not Have a Lawyer A summary judgment motion was filed in your case. A summary judgment motion asks the court to decide this case without having a trial. Here are some important things to know. What is summary judgment? Summary judgment is a way for one party to win their case without a trial. The party can ask for summary judgment for part of the case or for the whole case. What happens if I ignore the motion? If you do not respond to the summary judgment motion, you can lose your case without the judge hearing from you. If you are the plaintiff or petitioner in the case, that means that your case can be dismissed. If you are the defendant or respondent, that means the plaintiff or petitioner can get everything they asked for in the complaint. How do I respond to a summary judgment motion? You can file a brief and tell the judge about the law and the facts that support your side of the case. A brief is not evidence and the facts that you write about in your brief need to be supported by evidence. You can file sworn affidavits, declarations, and other paperwork to support your case. An affidavit or declaration is a sworn statement of fact that is based on personal knowledge and is admissible as evidence. If you are a plaintiff or petitioner, you cannot win a summary judgment motion just by saying what is in your complaint. Instead, you need to give evidence such as affidavits or declarations.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil Dispositive Motions: a Basic Breakdown
    Civil Dispositive Motions: A Basic Breakdown 1) Simplified Timeline: Motion for 12(b)(6) Motions JNOV** Summary Judgment Motions* Motion for New Trial Motion Motion for D.V. for D.V. (Rul 10 days Discovery and Mediation Plaintiff‟s Defendant‟s Evidence Evidence Process Complaint Trial Jury‟s Entry of Judgment Filed Begins Verdict * Defendant may move at any time. Plaintiff must wait until 30 days after commencement of action. **Movant must have moved for d.v. after close of evidence. 2) Pre-Trial Motions: Rule 12(b)(6) and Summary Judgment A. Rule 12(b)(6) Motions to Dismiss 1. Challenge the sufficiency of the complaint on its face. Movant asks the court to dismiss the complaint for “failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.” 2. Standard: The court may grant the motion if the allegations in the complaint are insufficient or defective as a matter of law in properly stating a claim for relief. For example: a) The complaint is for fraud, which requires specific pleading, but a required element of fraud is not alleged. 1 b) The complaint alleges breach of contract, but incorporates by reference (and attaches) a contract that is unenforceable as a matter of law. c) The complaint alleges a claim against a public official in a context in which that official has immunity as a matter of law. 3. The court only looks at the complaint (and documents incorporated by reference). a) If the court looks outside the complaint, the motion is effectively converted to a summary judgment and should be treated under the provisions of Rule 56.
    [Show full text]
  • Initial Stages of Federal Litigation: Overview
    Initial Stages of Federal Litigation: Overview MARCELLUS MCRAE AND ROXANNA IRAN, GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP WITH HOLLY B. BIONDO AND ELIZABETH RICHARDSON-ROYER, WITH PRACTICAL LAW LITIGATION A Practice Note explaining the initial steps of a For more information on commencing a lawsuit in federal court, including initial considerations and drafting the case initiating civil lawsuit in US district courts and the major documents, see Practice Notes, Commencing a Federal Lawsuit: procedural and practical considerations counsel Initial Considerations (http://us.practicallaw.com/3-504-0061) and Commencing a Federal Lawsuit: Drafting the Complaint (http:// face during a lawsuit's early stages. Specifically, us.practicallaw.com/5-506-8600); see also Standard Document, this Note explains how to begin a lawsuit, Complaint (Federal) (http://us.practicallaw.com/9-507-9951). respond to a complaint, prepare to defend a The plaintiff must include with the complaint: lawsuit and comply with discovery obligations The $400 filing fee. early in the litigation. Two copies of a corporate disclosure statement, if required (FRCP 7.1). A civil cover sheet, if required by the court's local rules. This Note explains the initial steps of a civil lawsuit in US district For more information on filing procedures in federal court, see courts (the trial courts of the federal court system) and the major Practice Note, Commencing a Federal Lawsuit: Filing and Serving the procedural and practical considerations counsel face during a Complaint (http://us.practicallaw.com/9-506-3484). lawsuit's early stages. It covers the steps from filing a complaint through the initial disclosures litigants must make in connection with SERVICE OF PROCESS discovery.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Approach to Plaintiff Incentive Fees in Class Action Lawsuits
    Copyright 2020 by Jason Jarvis Printed in U.S.A. Vol. 115, No. 3 Note A NEW APPROACH TO PLAINTIFF INCENTIVE FEES IN CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS Jason Jarvis ABSTRACT—Because modern litigation is time-intensive and expensive, a consumer has no monetary incentive to sue over a low-value claim—even when the defendant has clearly violated that consumer’s legal rights. But the defendant may have harmed many consumers in the same way, causing significant cumulative damage. By permitting the aggregation of numerous small claims, class action lawsuits provide a monetary incentive for lawyers and plaintiffs to pursue otherwise low-value suits. Often, an important part of this incentive is the “incentive fee,” an additional payment awarded to the named plaintiffs as compensation for the time they spend and risks they assume in representing the class. But such fees have the potential to create dangerous conflicts of interest—named plaintiffs may be “bought off” with a large incentive fee to give their approval to an otherwise unfair settlement. To avoid this problem, courts must review and approve requests for incentive fees. Unfortunately, courts do not adequately evaluate the dangers of incentive awards and balance these dangers against the justifications for such awards. This Note proposes a new test to better guide courts in assessing the propriety of incentive fees. Specifically, courts should look at (1) the amount of time and effort that the plaintiff expended in pursuing the litigation; (2) risks that the named plaintiff faced in bringing and advancing the litigation; and (3) evidence of conflicts of interest that might prejudice the class.
    [Show full text]
  • Class Action Lawsuits: a Legal Overview for the 115Th Congress
    Class Action Lawsuits: A Legal Overview for the 115th Congress Updated April 11, 2018 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45159 Class Action Lawsuits: A Legal Overview for the 115th Congress Summary A class action is a procedure by which a large group of entities (known as a “class”) may challenge a defendant’s allegedly unlawful conduct in a single lawsuit, rather than through numerous, separate suits initiated by individual plaintiffs. In a class action, a plaintiff (known as the “class representative,” the “named representative,” or the “named plaintiff”) may sue the defendant not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of other entities (the “class members”) who are similarly situated to the class representative in order to resolve any legal or factual questions that are common to the entire class. Courts and commentators have recognized that class actions can serve several beneficial purposes, including economizing litigation and incentivizing plaintiffs to pursue socially desirable lawsuits. At the same time, however, class actions can occasionally subject defendants to costly or abusive litigation. Moreover, because the class members generally do not actively participate in a class action lawsuit, class actions pose a risk that the class representative and his counsel will not always act in accordance with the class members’ best interests. In an attempt to balance the benefits of class actions against the risks to defendants and class members, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 establishes a rigorous series of prerequisites that a federal class action must satisfy. For similar reasons, Rule 23 also subjects proposed class action settlements to the scrutiny of the federal courts.
    [Show full text]
  • Rejecting the Class Action Tolling Forfeiture Rule
    41674-nyu_94-4 Sheet No. 163 Side A 10/04/2019 07:34:32 \\jciprod01\productn\N\NYU\94-4\NYU409.txt unknown Seq: 1 3-OCT-19 14:08 REJECTING THE CLASS ACTION TOLLING FORFEITURE RULE JAMES J. MAYER* This Note analyzes a circuit split over the application of the Forfeiture Rule, which holds that plaintiffs forfeit American Pipe tolling when they file individual actions before class certification has been resolved in the underlying putative class action. This Note rejects the Forfeiture Rule and argues that it misunderstands the purpose and rationale of American Pipe and class action tolling. Given the increased uncer- tainty facing class action plaintiffs, the policy and equity interests that motivated courts to adopt the Forfeiture Rule now require courts to abandon it. This is the first article to analyze the Forfeiture Rule’s history and evolution, to explore the impact of changes in class action jurisprudence on statutes of limitations on the Forfeiture Rule, and to argue against the continued viability of the Forfeiture Rule across the federal judicial system. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 900 R I. AMERICAN PIPE TOLLING AND THE FORFEITURE RULE ...................................... 905 R A. The Creation and Policy Goals of American Pipe Tolling .............................................. 906 R B. Individual Plaintiffs and the Forfeiture Rule . 909 R C. The Development of the Forfeiture Rule . 911 R 1. In Favor of the Forfeiture Rule . 911 R 2. Against the Forfeiture Rule. 916 R II. CHANGES IN THE LAW DEMONSTRATE WHERE THE FORFEITURE RULE CAN LEAD TO INJUSTICE . 922 R A. Class Certification Is More Uncertain . 922 R 41674-nyu_94-4 Sheet No.
    [Show full text]
  • Effective Discovery Strategies in Class-Action Litigation by David R
    Spring 2014, Vol. 28 No. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Articles » Effective Discovery Strategies in Class-Action Litigation By David R. Singh and Gaspard Curioni Lay the foundation for timely, fair, and cost-efficient resolution of a putative class action. Strategies for Removal under the Class Action Fairness Act By Wystan Ackerman Removal to federal court under CAFA requires swift action. Navigating CAFA Removal and Remand Strategies By Jennifer L. Gray Decisions concerning removal and remand under CAFA have exhibited an interesting dichotomy. A Brief Guide to Removal By Matthew M.K. Stein Removing a case to federal court is a technical and detail-oriented process. News & Developments » Potential Conflicts of Interest for Class-Action Counsel Class-action counsel should be aware of potential issues and evolving interests that may arise after a settlement agreement is reached. SCOTUS Relaxes Attorney Fee Standard in Patent Infringement Cases The Court, in two unanimous decisions, held that the Federal Circuit's test for awarding attorney fees in patent-infringement cases was too rigid. Corporate Counsel Spring 2014, Vol. 28 No. 3 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ARTICLES Effective Discovery Strategies in Class-Action Litigation By David R. Singh and Gaspard Curioni – May 26, 2014 Discovery in class-action litigation is notoriously asymmetric. While a corporate defendant
    [Show full text]
  • United Healthcare Corporation Class Action Litigation Frequently Asked Questions
    United Healthcare Corporation Class Action Litigation Frequently Asked Questions 1. Overview 2. What benefits does the Settlement provide? 3. Why did I receive this information when I was never a subscriber or out-of-network provider? 4. Why did I receive more than one Notice? 5. I believe I am a Class Member, but I did not receive the Notice and Claim Form. How can I obtain a copy of these documents? 6. What are my options? 7. What do I need to do in order to take part in this class action and receive a payment? 8. How much money am I likely to receive from this class action? 9. When can I expect to receive my payment? 10. If I missed the filing deadline, will my late claim be accepted? 11. How can I exclude myself from this Settlement? 12. I am a primary insured. Should my claim have information for the medical services and supplies I personally used, or those used by my family (myself and the dependents listed in my coverage)? 13. I have a number of healthcare services claims that UHC denied completely. Can I make a claim for such denied medical services? 14. The Notice says that I may request certain claims information. What do I need to do? 15. I am a Provider and would like to know whether some of the patients that owe me money filed claims in this case. What do I need to do? 16. Some of the information on my record of medical services is either missing or wrong.
    [Show full text]
  • Prerequisities to a Class Action Under New Rule 23 Charles Donelan
    Boston College Law Review Volume 10 Issue 3 A Symposium Federal Rule 23 - The Class Article 6 Action 4-1-1969 Prerequisities to a Class Action Under New Rule 23 Charles Donelan Follow this and additional works at: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/bclr Part of the Civil Procedure Commons Recommended Citation Charles Donelan, Prerequisities to a Class Action Under New Rule 23, 10 B.C.L. Rev. 527 (1969), http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ bclr/vol10/iss3/6 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Boston College Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PREREQUISITES TO A CLASS ACTION UNDER NEW RULE 23 CHARLES DONELAN* The author analyzes the four very specific prerequisites im- posed by new Rule 23 upon the would-be class action repre- sentative: that the representative first demonstrate that the class members are so numerous as to make their joinder im- practicable; that he establish the presence of common ques- tions of law or fact; that he have an interest of sufficient affinity with that of the rest of the class; and, finally, that the representative have the capacity to protect adequately the interests of the entire class. The author concludes that these prerequisites, shaped by considerations of practicability and due process, will more than adequately safeguard the rights of absent class members so long as they are conscien- tiously administered.
    [Show full text]