Opinion ID: 2782462
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ascertainability

Text: Philip Morris’s last argument is that the class is not ascertainable. It further argues that the court made no ruling regarding ascertainability and that we should reverse on those grounds alone. This argument is misplaced. Rule 23 does not require the circuit court to make an explicit ruling on whether the class is ascertainable. 6 Instead, we have said the following regarding this issue: It is axiomatic that in order for a class action to be certified, a class must exist. The definition of the class to be certified must first meet a standard that is not explicit in the text of Rule 23, that the class be susceptible to precise definition. This is to ensure that the class is neither “amorphous,” nor “imprecise.” Concurrently, the class representatives must be members of that class. Thus, before a class can be certified under Rule 23, the class description must be sufficiently definite so that it is administratively feasible for the court to determine whether a particular individual is a member of the proposed class. Furthermore, for a class to be sufficiently defined, the identity of the class members must be ascertainable by reference to objective criteria. Ferguson v. Kroger Co., 343 Ark. 627, 631, 37 S.W.3d 590, 593 (2001). In the present case, the circuit court met this requirement by defining the class as follows: All persons who purchased Lights cigarettes in Arkansas for personal consumption from November 1, 1971 through June 22, 2010. This class is definite and “ascertainable by reference to objective 5 In so holding, we reject Philip Morris’s separate argument that bifurcation would not create any efficiencies. 6 In the case Philip Morris cites to support this proposition, we reversed because the circuit court made no findings regarding commonality, predominance, and superiority Lenders Title Co. v. Chandler, 353 Ark. 339, 107 S.W.3d 157 (2003). However, we never held that the circuit court, in addition to defining the class, had to make a separate finding of ascertainability. Cite as 2015 Ark. 73 criteria.” The circuit court did not have to go behind the class definition and make a separate finding that the class was readily ascertainable—the class definition speaks for itself. Moreover, unlike Ferguson, supra, this class definition is straightforward. In Ferguson, class plaintiffs alleged that Kroger’s double-coupon advertising campaign was false and misleading. 7 However, the problem was that the proposed class was defined by reference to five different criteria. We affirmed the circuit court’s refusal to certify the class, finding that the class plaintiffs’ “ability to define the class to be all but insurmountable.” Ferguson, 343 Ark. at 634, 37 S.W.3d at 594. But here there is only one inquiry: Did a plaintiff ever buy Marlboro Lights during the specified time period? If so, he or she is a member of the class. This is hardly an “insurmountable” question to answer. Philip Morris asserts that the class is still poorly defined, and unascertainable, because each class member will have to present receipts in order to opt-in to the class; it further contends that plaintiffs cannot provide receipts, and thus will not be able to prove their membership in the class. Plaintiffs respond that consumers can prove their class membership in other ways, for example, by an affidavit or through testimony. We agree with the plaintiffs. There is no receipt requirement in order to join a class action. One of 7 “Kroger advertised to the general public that it would double the value of a manufacturer’s coupon for goods on particular days. The value of that doubled coupon would then be deducted against the price of the product. During this time period, Kroger discounted the amount of state sales tax against the enhanced coupon value. The net result was that customers did not receive the full double-coupon value. Rather, they received the double-coupon value less the sales tax on the enhanced value, which was remitted to the applicable state revenue department by Kroger.” Ferguson, 343 Ark. at 629, 37 S.W.3d at 591. Cite as 2015 Ark. 73 the rationales for the class-action mechanism is to provide individual consumers with an effective way to pool resources and collectively bring a claim that would otherwise be unremunerative if brought individually. Most consumers throw their receipts away on their way out the door; so a receipt requirement would undermine the class-action mechanism because so few class members could produce receipts from cigarette purchases made years ago.