We wrote recently about how the certiorari petition in Zappos.com, Inc. v. Stevens was a possible vehicle to put the question of standing in data breach cases back before the Supreme Court. Alas, the Court denied the certiorari petition on March 25. Combined with the Supreme Court’s remand in Frank v. Gaos, those wishing for a landmark standing decision must wait a little longer. Given the small number of certiorari petitions granted, the odds…

Data breach plaintiffs often have a very difficult time stating a concrete injury, and courts have wrestled with whether these plaintiffs can file suit in federal court. We have been watching this issue and writing about it frequently. The issue is whether plaintiffs have suffered an “injury in fact” that gives them Article III standing. The Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in Spokeo v. Robins took a narrow view of Article III standing where the…

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear two important cases next year involving important issues for class action lawyers and the clients they serve. In Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela, the Supreme Court will decide “whether the Federal Arbitration Act forecloses a state-law interpretation of an arbitration agreement that would authorize class arbitration based solely on general language commonly used in arbitration agreements.” Recall that in Stolt-Nielsen, S.A. v. Animal Feeds International Corp…

All class-action practitioners understand the importance of a court’s decision to certify a class—the pivotal point at which a putative class action can transform into a reality, promising vast settlement pressure on the defendant, even over potentially meritless claims. A cert petition filed with the Supreme Court on September 14 in Taylor Farms Pacific v. Pena could impact future class-certification battles. The petition asks the Court to decide whether a district court may rely on…