Forum
U.S. Supreme Court
Case Status
Decided
Docket Number
11-445
Term
Cert. Denied
Lower Court Opinion
Questions Presented
Whether the Due Process Clause prohibits a state court from relieving class members of their burden to prove a longstanding and fundamental element of liability—here, individual reliance in a fraud claim—thereby depriving the defendant of its right to assert an individualized defense to a class action.
Case Updates
Cert. petition denied
January 23, 2012
NCLC files amicus brief regarding due process rights and class action suits
November 14, 2011
NCLC urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari to decide whether the Due Process Clause prohibits a state court from changing the longstanding common law requirements for proving fraud on an individual basis in order to certify a class action. In this case, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld the certification of a class action alleging that the defendant insurance company somehow committed fraud by evaluating the “reasonableness” of medical charges submitted for payment under auto insurance policies by comparing those submitted charges to a database of historical charges for the same medical procedure in the same area. In its amicus brief, NCLC argued that the Due Process Clause bars state courts from deviating from established substantive and procedural rules to accommodate class actions. NCLC described the growing and pervasive trend of state courts watering down claim requirements in order to certify class actions, increasing the pressure on businesses to settle even frivolous lawsuits.