Opinion · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Claire Rand, Custodian for Brett Rand v. Monsanto Company

926 F.2d 596

Type
Opinion
Court
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Jurisdiction
Federal
Date
1991-02-20
Topic
litigation

holding that plaintiff forfeits his claim if he refuses a Rule 68 offer of judgment that fully satisfies his entire demand | holding individual plaintiffs case mooted by defendant’s offer for “the full amount by which answers to interrogatories assert that [the plaintiff] was injured, plus the costs of the suit” (emphasis added) | holding individual plaintiff's case mooted by defendant's offer for "the full amount by which answers to interrogatories assert that [the plaintiff] was injured, plus the costs of the suit" (emphasis added) | allowing class counsel to advance costs for the class suit with recovery of expenses dependent on the outcome of the case | stating the view that a rejected offer of judgment for plaintiff’s entire demand would be enough to moot a case | vacating judgment imposing defendant's offer on named representative where district court improperly denied class certification | discussing shift to Model Rules in context of fee agreements in securities fraud class actions | requiring class representative to bear all costs personally, as opposed to her pro rata share, would be “inconsistent with Fed.R.Civ.P. 23 because it would cripple the class action device that rule creates” | “Even when one party wishes to persist to judgment, an offer to accord all of the relief demanded may moot the case.” | "Class actions assemble small claims—usually too small to be worth litigating separately, but repaying the effort in the aggregate." | "[T]he named plaintiff must have some commitment to the case, so that the 'representative' in a class action is not a fictive concept." | “[T]he representative and counsel may be tempted to sell out the class for benefits to themselves.” | “Class actions assemble small claims — usually too small to be worth litigating separately, but repaying the effort in the aggregate.” | “Class actions assemble small claims—usually too small to be worth litigating separately, but repaying the effort in the aggregate.” | “Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiff’s entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate.” | Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 trumps state ethics rules on champerty | “Although a representative plaintiff need not immerse [herself] in the case, the named plaintiff must have some commitment to the case, so that the ‘representative’ in a class action is not a Active concept.” | “Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiff's entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate, and a plaintiff who refuses to acknowledge this loses outright, under Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), because he has no remaining stake." (citation omitted) | both held that while various provisions of the Model Rules are useful as guides in assessing adequacy of counsel, they should not be so rigidly applied as to subvert the use of the class action device | "Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiff's entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate, and a plaintiff who refuses to acknowledge this loses outright, under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), because he has no remaining stake.” | “Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiffs entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate ... and a plaintiff who refuses to acknowledge this loses outright, under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), because he has no remaining stake.” | “[A] district court may not establish a per se rule that the representative plaintiff must be willing to bear all (as opposed to a pro rata share) of the costs of the action.” | “Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiffs entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate ... and a plaintiff who refuses to acknowledge this loses outright, under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), because he has no remaining stake.” | "Once the defendant offers to satisfy the plaintiff ’s entire demand, there is no dispute over which to litigate and a plaintiff who refuses to acknowledge this loses outright, under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), because he has no remaining

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