Opinion ID: 405209
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Justifications for Class Certification.

Text: 69 The plaintiffs who sustained serious injuries or seek to recover for the death of family members should not be denied the opportunity to be promptly compensated. Likewise, plaintiffs seeking less substantial actual damages and punitive damages should not be effectively deprived of their claims. A class suit provides a device by which these smaller claims can be aggregated and litigation costs prorated among numerous claimants, thereby making worthwhile claims that might otherwise not be pursued. 3 E.g., Deposit Guaranty National Bank v. Roper, 445 U.S. 326, 338, 100 S.Ct. 1166, 1173-74, 63 L.Ed.2d 427 (1980). See Comment, The Use of Class Actions for Mass Accident Litigation, 23 Loyola L.Rev. 383, 384-385 (1977). Note, Developments in the Law-Class Actions, 89 Harv.L.Rev. 1318-1322, 1354-1355 (1976). Thus, a class action provides the best method for all plaintiffs to vindicate their legitimate claims. 70 A class suit on the liability and punitive damage issues also provides an effective means to confine and manage the substantial litigation arising from this mass disaster. See, e.g., 7A Wright & Miller, Fed.Prac. & Proc.: Civil, § 1783 at 116-117 (1972); Note, Developments in the Law-Class Actions, supra, 89 Harv.L.Rev. at 1318-1322, 1354-1355; Note, Mass Accident Class Actions, 60 Cal.L.Rev. 1615 passim (1972). It conserves litigant and judicial resources by permitting the liability and punitive damage issues to be tried once, and only once; thereby avoiding a multiplicity of lawsuits on the same issues involving the same facts and the same defendants. 4 Moreover, it promotes judicial economy by focusing this litigation in the court that will have to resolve the major disputed issues in this case. The defendants have already begun to file in the federal district court their lawsuits to determine the respective liability and contribution issues among the various tort feasors. 71 Moreover, a single class-wide adjudication of punitive damages ensures that every victim will receive his or her just share of any punitive damage award. Absent a class action, the distribution of punitive damages will be determined in a succession of individual lawsuits. In that event, the risk exists that individual juries will reach inconsistent results on the liability and damage issues. Moreover, even if the results are consistent, the risk arises that late-suing plaintiffs will have their punitive damage recoveries reduced or even eliminated by prior awards because there is certainly some limit on the amount of exemplary damages the defendants will be required to pay. 5 A class action suit provides the most effective-and perhaps only-procedure to ensure that any recovery will be distributed equitably among all plaintiffs. 6 Roginsky v. Richardson-Merrell, Inc., 378 F.2d 832, 838-842 (2d Cir. 1967) (dicta); In Re Northern District of California Dalkon Shield IUD Products Liability Litigation, 526 F.Supp. 887, 897-900 (N.D.Cal.1981) (hereafter cited as In re Dalkon Litigation ). See Putz & Astiz, Punitive Damage Claims of Class Members Who Opt Out: Should They Survive ?, 16 U.San Fran.L.Rev. 1, 18-40 (1981); Note, Mass Liability and Punitive Damages Overkill, 30 Hastings L.J. 1797, 1800-1812 (1979); Note, Mass Accident Class Actions, supra, 60 Cal.L.Rev. at 1624-1639. 72