Opinion ID: 223398
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Objectors' Other Challenges to the Settlement

Text: Beyond their challenge to the District Court's certification of the class, the objectors to the Settlement also contend that (1) approval of the Settlement was impermissible because it released claims beyond the factual predicate of the case and (2) the approval process denied them procedural due process. As I find that the Settlement's release pertaining to future uses by publishers and their sublicensees was permissible, I join the majority's opinion in that respect. Because I would affirm the District Court's decision to certify the class, I now turn to the objectors' procedural challenges to the Settlement. First, the objectors claim that the District Court lacked sufficient information to evaluate the Settlement at the preliminary approval stage. Second, they claim that because the parties did not produce their damages study until six days before the final approval hearing, after the deadlines for objecting and opting out, the objectors were denied the opportunity to properly frame their objections and to opt out in a timely fashion. Third, they claim that the District Court improperly required objectors to appear in person at the fairness hearings. These arguments are all meritless.