www.NFIB.com
For Immediate Release
Contact: Eric Reller
202-314-2073 or [email protected]
NFIB
Applauds Supreme Court Class-Action Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 15,
2014 — Karen Harned, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, made the following statement in
response to the Supreme Court’s decision in the case Dart Cherokee Basin Operating Company, LLC v. Owens, in which NFIB had joined an amicus brief.
“NFIB is glad the Supreme Court reversed the Tenth Circuit’s
decision – stopping trial lawyers from making an end-run around the Class Action
Fairness Act (CAFA). Consistent application of CAFA is important for
defendants—especially for small business owners, who are already at a great
disadvantage in the legal process in most cases, because they do not typically
retain in-house counsel. We applaud the Supreme Court and thank them for standing
up for small businesses.”
In this case, the Supreme Court vacated
the Tenth Circuit’s judgment – and affirmed that a state class action defendant
may file for removal to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act
(CAFA) if the amount in controversy exceeded the statutory requirement of
$5,000,000. The Court’s decision affects a broad swath of disputes ranging from
class actions to mass torts.
###
The
NFIB Small Business
Legal Center is a 501(c)(3)
organization created to protect the rights of America’s small business owners
by providing advisory material on legal issues and by ensuring that the voice
of small business is heard in the nation’s courts. The National Federation of
Independent Business is the nation’s leading small business association, with
offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals.