DEFENSE COMMENTARY ON SUPREME COURT DECISION – Wal-Mart v. Dukes

CHICAGO, IL (Law Firm Newswire) June 21, 2011 – DRI – What: DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar has experts available to speak about the impact of the Supreme Court case Wal-Mart v. Dukes

Who: R. Matthew Cairns, DRI President and Marc Williams, DRI Past President

Why: The landmark Wal-Mart v. Dukes case has far-reaching implications for both Title VII class actions and for class actions more generally. Had the Supreme Court affirmed the decisions of the district court and the Ninth Circuit, the effect could have been a dramatic expansion of the circumstances in which class certification is appropriate. Instead, the Court held that the certification of the proposed class, which would have been the largest employment class action in history, was not consistent with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 23(a)(2), which requires a party seeking class certification to prove that the class has common “questions of law or fact.” The Court further held that the class plaintiffs’ backpay claims were improperly certified under Rule 23(b)(2).

When: immediate and ongoing

About DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar is an international organization of defense attorneys and corporate counsel that is recognized as a thought leader and an advocate for the defense bar at the national and state level, as well as in Europe. With more than 22,000 members, DRI provides members and their clients with access to world-class education, legal resources and numerous marketing and networking opportunities that facilitate career and law firm growth. For more information log on to www.dri.org.

Media Contact: Tracy N. Schorle, 312-698-6276 or 708-828-0299; tschorle@dri.org, www.dri.org.

Media Contact:
Vicki Bendure, APR
540-687-3360
202-374-9259 c
Vicki@bendurepr.com

DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
55 W. Monroe, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60603
www.dri.org