Class Actions

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This opinion on attorneys’ fees was issued in tandem with the opinion in In re Wachovia Shareholders Litigation. Lawsuits had filed over a tender offer for the company, which led the Board of Directors to conduct an auction process which led to a higher price per share. Thereafter, class counsel and the defendant had…

The Court considered an award of attorneys fees following its determination that certain termination provisions of a merger agreement were invalid. This opinion was issued in tandem with opinion in In re Quintiles Transnational Shareholders Litigation.

Fee applications were made by attorneys representing a class of shareholders, as well as attorneys representing a derivative…

This was a class action for unfair trade practices against a weight loss clinic. Plaintiffs’ claim rested partly on their argument that their contracts required them to buy prescriptions from the defendant at a price higher than they would have paid at an outside pharmacy. The Court granted summary judgment on this claim, holding that…

The plaintiffs moved, before class certification, to withdraw their allegations seeking class certification. The Business Court ruled that where a complaint is filed containing class action allegations and claims, those class claims may not be withdrawn, whether by voluntary dismissal, amendment to the complaint or simple failure to pursue class certification without court approval under…

The determination of reasonable attorneys’ fee under nationwide class action settlement is within the Court’s discretion. The court considered Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(b) in making its award. It rejected the percentage of fund approach given the uncertainty of the amount that might ultimately be awarded to the members of the class. Class counsel…

The claims of the class plaintiff were barred by the statute of limitations. Although the statute of limitations had been tolled during the pendency of a prior class action involving the same matters, it resumed running when class certification was denied in the prior action. Tolling did not continue during the period of the appeal…

The Court denied a motion for certification of a class of persons who had been extended credit by a national bank for the purpose of purchasing "force-place" insurance, because there were individual issues which made class certification inappropriate, including the need for each class member to prove reliance.

The Court also found that the plaintiff…

The Court considered an award of attorneys’ fees to class counsel, who had settled eleven separate antitrust class actions, including one in North Carolina.

The value of the settlement to the North Carolina class was slight. The Court observed that it was a cost of litigation settlement of approximately three cents on the potential dollar…

Class action counsel were entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees where the settlement had created a common fund. The Court discusses various applications to an award of fees, including the lodestar method and the percentage method, and elects to take a hybrid approach which takes into account the reasonableness of the fees under the…