Ramirez v. Vintage Pharmaceuticals — civil / class action — reversal — Vanaskie

In 2005, Congress passed the Class Action Fairness Act to make it easier for defendants to keep large class actions from being decided by state courts. Under CAFA, a suit can be eligible for removal if more than 100 plaintiffs seek a joint trial, but consolidation only for pretrial purposes doesn’t qualify.

Today, the Third Circuit ruled in favor of defendants seeking to keep a case in federal court, holding that language in the 100+ plaintiffs’ single complaint that “claims have been filed together . . . for purposes of case management on a mass tort basis” wasn’t clear enough to defeat removal: “Where, as here, more than 100 plaintiffs file a single complaint containing claims involving common questions of law and fact, a proposal for a joint trial will be presumed unless an explicit and unambiguous disclaimer is included.”

Joining Vanaskie were Chagares and Krause. Arguing counsel were Angela Vicari of Arnold & Porter for the defendants and Keith Bodoh of Georgia for the plaintiffs.