Class Actions Brief Blog

Vinson v. Volkswagen Group of America Inc., No. 1:15-cv-00213 (W.D.N.C. September 23, 2015), a case filed this Wednesday in the Western District of North Carolina, is one of at least twenty-five class actions filed against Volkswagen in courts across the country this week. In addition, at least 27 state attorneys general have launched a multi-state investigation into the German automaker’s 2.0-liter diesel vehicles.

The Plaintiffs in the WDNC case, as in the other actions, allege that Volkswagen intentionally defrauded the EPA and consumers by installing a “defeat ...

Can a class action settlement agreement contain a fee-shifting provision that provides for a payment of attorneys’ fees? In a question of first impression, the North Carolina Court of Appeals said yes, subject to a trial court’s approval of the settlement at a fairness hearing.

In the long-running Ehrenhaus v. Baker case, the Plaintiff brought a class action challenging the merger of Wells Fargo and Wachovia. The parties ultimately entered into a settlement agreement that also provided for a payment of attorneys’ fees to Plaintiff’s counsel. The trial court approved the ...

Not every class action court filing in North and South Carolina becomes a full-length post on our blog. Here is a recap of August's filings:

Lijkel Dijkstra v. Harry Carenbauer, No. 15-1994 (4th Cir. August 27, 2015) (docketing appeal from Order and Final Judgement denying defendants’ motion to decertify a class of West Virginia consumers who obtained a mortgage through LendingTree and holding defendant consumer lending companies liable for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law by closing real estate loans without a licensed attorney or without the direct supervision of a ...

Cone v. American Airlines Group Inc., a case filed this Thursday in the Middle District of North Carolina, is one of dozens of antitrust suits filed against the major U.S. airlines in courts across the country in recent weeks. With the addition of North Carolina, suits are now pending in at least seven states and the District of Columbia. Terry Maxon, who blogs about the airline business for the Dallas Morning News, has identified at least 75 such cases.

The Plaintiffs in the MDNC case, as in the other actions, allege that the major domestic airlines conspired to raise the price of airline ...

We have reported recently in this space on the certification of state wage and hour claims. Judge Gergel recently continued with this trend, certifying a class of Jamaican workers at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort who contend they weren’t paid enough by the Resort. See Moodie v. Kiawah Island Inn Co. LLC, No. 2:15-cv-1097 (D.S.C. Aug. 24, 2015). Defendants argued that the differences in class members were such that the court would have to certify six classes, but the Court rejected that notion, saying the argument stemmed from a “novel proposition that Plaintiffs must propose [a ...