Trends in Consumer Product Class Actions and Strategies for Settling Them

The class action world moves fast. One day, there are hundreds of “natural” cases on the docket; the next, plaintiffs’ counsel have moved on to slack fill, vanilla claims, and whether items labeled “recyclable” actually are.  Over the course of one hour, we will review recent trends in consumer product class actions, discuss developments in how best to resolve such cases, and analyze some recent appellate court decisions on how improperly structured attorneys’ fee awards can jeopardize a class action settlement.

Ezra D. Church, partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Ross L. Weiner, legal director at Risk Settlements, will discuss:

• Trends in recent consumer product class actions (20 Minutes), including:
• Slack fill
• Mislabeling claims (including “all natural,” “vanilla, “recyclable,” and honey)
• Non-toxic claims
• Challenges to arbitration clauses and class waivers
• Settlement developments (20 Minutes), including recent:
• Uncapped settlements
• Claims-made settlements
• Recent appellate court decisions on attorneys’ fee awards, including dos and don’ts to avoid jeopardizing your settlement (20 Minutes)