Opinion ID: 2275905
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Possible remedies

Text: The trial court has a broad range of discretion in which to craft a remedy that will protect the class and the defendants in the action, and that will preserve the integrity and efficiency of class procedures. If allegedly unethical conduct by a named plaintiff or class counsel is shown to be prejudicial to class members or otherwise results in irreconcilable conflicts of interest, many courts have ruled that a class that otherwise meets the requirements of Rule 23 should not be denied class status for ethical considerations. Instead, courts have used corrective measures such as substitution of counsel or the named plaintiff and remedial notice to class members to avoid delay in reaching the merits and prejudicing plaintiff's rights. 5 Herbert Newberg & Alba Conte, Newberg on Class Actions sec. 15:1 (4th ed.2002) (internal quotations omitted). [11] Disqualification of class counsel in such circumstances can protect the integrity of the litigation process without frustrating the plaintiffs' opportunity to seek justice. Only the most egregious misconduct on the part of plaintiffs' lawyer could ever arguably justify denial of class status. Halverson v. Convenient Food Mart, Inc., 458 F.2d 927, 932 (7th Cir.1972). The better disposition should be to substitute counsel to avoid unduly delaying reaching the merits and prejudicing the plaintiffs' rights. In re Nissan Motor Corp. Antitrust Litig., 1975 WL 166141, , 22 Fed. R. Serv.2d (West) 63 (S.D.Fla.1975). Remedies short of complete disqualification might also be appropriate. [12] For example, it might be determined that existing counsel may continue to represent certain individual parties or certain sub-classes in the litigation or there might be an appropriate role for existing counsel relative to the entire class. However, at the very least, new counsel must be retained to investigate, evaluate, and, if appropriate, prosecute class claims against Underwriter and/or the brokers. [13]