John Beisner Testifies in Congress in Favor of Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2015
John H. Beisner, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and a member of the ALI Council, testified recently in support of the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2015 before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
In testimony delivered on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Institute for Legal Reform, Mr. Beisner described a "continuing problem" in class action litigation. Some judges, he said, are certifying overbroad or no-injury classes, resulting in a "chain reaction of problems."
"In some courts," Mr. Beisner said, "the law has developed to the point where one disgruntled customer—or, more likely, one enterprising plaintiff’s lawyer—can distort the value of an idiosyncratic product defect by a multiple of many thousands, even though few others have had the same problem with that product."
Visit the subcommittee's website to read his testimony or watch the hearing. Mr. Beisner’s testimony begins at 22:56.
