Opinion ID: 155692
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: We first examine whether we have jurisdiction over this appeal, in light of the lack of a dismissal order and the district court’s continuing administration of the settlement. As we have previously explained, under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we have jurisdiction only over “final” decisions of the district court; that is, those decisions that leave nothing for the court to do but execute the judgment. Notably, a decision “final” within the meaning of § 1291 does not necessarily mean the last order possible to be made in a case. Thus, a district court’s decision is appealable if it falls within “that small class which finally determine claims of right separable from, and collateral to, rights asserted in the action, too important to be denied review and too independent of the cause itself to require that appellate consideration be deferred until the whole case is adjudicated.” Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp., 337 U.S. 541, 546 (1949). To come within Cohen’s collateral order doctrine, an order must [1] conclusively determine the disputed question, [2] resolve an important issue completely separate from the merits of the action, and [3] be effectively unreviewable on appeal from a final judgment. Myers v. Oklahoma County Bd. of County Comm’rs, 80 F.3d 421, 425 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 117 S. Ct. 383 (1996) (further citations and quotations omitted). The circumstances of this case meet all three of the requirements of the collateral order doctrine. The denial of the motion to opt out (1) conclusively determines the status of the Burnses’ separate lawsuit; (2) resolves the Burnses’ claims concerning the adequacy of notice, which are separate from the merits of the class action’s settlement agreement; and (3) will be unreviewable on an appeal -5- from final judgment, in that the district court’s order effectively binds the Burnses to the terms of the settlement agreement. We therefore conclude that the challenged order amounts to a final decision and we exercise our jurisdiction pursuant to § 1291.