Multidistrict Class Actions: Consolidating Class Actions Without Conceding Certification
Recording of a 90-minute CLE video webinar with Q&A
This CLE course will discuss advantages and disadvantages of consolidation, approaches to consolidation among different jurisdictions, and strategic considerations related to discovery, class certification, res judicata, and other vital issues. The panel will offer strategies for navigating the push for consolidation, how defense counsel can avoid making admissions against interest, and how plaintiffs' counsel might use consolidation arguments to bolster certification.
Outline
- Statutory authority to consolidate class actions
- Overlap between consolidation and certification issues
- Recent cases consolidating class actions
- Defense strategies
Benefits
The panel will discuss these and other key issues:
- Can cases be consolidated before certification?
- What are the most critical factors defense counsel should consider when seeking consolidation?
- What safeguards prevent conceding points related to common questions of law and fact?
- What issues are best for consolidation?
- Can consolidation keep cases in federal court that would otherwise be remanded?
Faculty
Michael J. Ruttinger
Partner
Tucker Ellis
Mr. Ruttinger develops and implements strategies for clients in class action, commercial and complex litigation across... | Read More
Mr. Ruttinger develops and implements strategies for clients in class action, commercial and complex litigation across the country. He advises and advocates for clients at all phases of a case, from pre-litigation consulting on regulatory issues, to dispositive and class-certification motions, to appeals. Mr. Ruttinger regularly handles complicated, high-stakes issues for clients ranging from challenges to class certification to developing strategies for seeking summary judgment and excluding unreliable expert opinions. He is a frequent writer and speaker on the application of class action and product liability laws to emerging technologies.
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Angelo A. Stio, III
Partner
Troutman Pepper
Mr. Stio is a first-chair litigator who tries cases in courts and arbitration tribunals throughout the United States.... | Read More
Mr. Stio is a first-chair litigator who tries cases in courts and arbitration tribunals throughout the United States. His practice focuses on financial services issues, higher education law, and data privacy and security. Mr. Stio has a long track record of handling class actions and complex commercial disputes, and is also experienced in federal appellate court. He is a recognized as a Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation (2019-2021) and by New Jersey Super Lawyers (2011-2017) for business litigation.
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Ethan W. Weber
Attorney
Tucker Ellis
Having served as a judicial law clerk to both the Honorable J. Philip Calabrese (United States District Court, Northern... | Read More
Having served as a judicial law clerk to both the Honorable J. Philip Calabrese (United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio) and the Honorable Douglas R. Cole (United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio), Mr. Weber gained substantive knowledge about federal litigation in the areas of employment law, securities, class actions, complex insurance coverage, and trade secret misappropriation, among others. He also became familiar with the jurisdictional and procedural nuances of federal litigation, giving him an inside perspective that helps him advocate for clients engaged in all types of federal and state litigation.
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