Opinion ID: 2995878
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Class Action Against DuPage and Kane Counties

Text: It is also unclear why the district court thought that the proposed class action against DuPage and Kane Counties could not go forward (at least to the point of a Rule 23 certification decision), since named representatives from each of those jails were before the court, and the existence of the state law strongly suggests that these were not the only people who paid a release fee. Indeed, on the same day as it dismissed the present action, the district judge granted class certification in two cases based on the same occurrences, one brought by plaintiffs challenging Kane County practices (Coleman v. County of Kane, No. 00-C-295, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17438 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 26, 2000)) and the other challenging DuPage County practices (Ringswald v. County of DuPage, No. 00-C-296, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17437 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 26, 2000)). The district court did not offer a reason why the named plaintiffs in this case failed to satisfy the requirements of class certification, unlike those in Ringswald and Coleman, nor did it discuss whether those two actions in some way precluded the certification requested here. The defendants in Ringswald and in Coleman were granted summary judgment on the federal claims on October 11, 2001. We express no opinion on the effect that the outcome of these cases might have on the merits of the suit at bar. We note only that a determination of the propriety of class certification should not turn on likelihood of success on the merits. See West v. Prudential Secs., Inc., 282 F.3d 935, 938 (7th Cir. 2002); Bieneman v. City of Chicago, 838 F.2d 962, 964 (7th Cir. 1988). (It is a different matter if the proposed named plaintiff loses on the merits prior to certification, but we do not have that situation here yet.) No. 00-3789 7 Given our reversal of the dismissal of the individual actions, we also reverse the district court’s judgment dismissing the putative class actions against DuPage and Kane Counties and remand for further appropriate proceedings. On remand, the parties must consider among other things the possible consequences of the outcome in Ringswald and Coleman for this suit.