Opinion ID: 1449245
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Indefinite Classes

Text: Likewise, a proposed class definition may be improper because the putative class is indefinite. `The primary concern underlying the requirement of a class capable of definition is that the proposed class not be amorphous, vague, or indeterminate.' Craft v. Philip Morris Cos., Inc., 190 S.W.3d 368, 387 (Mo.App. 2005) (quoting In re Tetracycline Cases, 107 F.R.D. 719, 728 (W.D.Mo.1985)); see also Vandyne v. Allied Mortgage Capital Corp., 242 S.W.3d 695, 697 (Mo. banc 2008); DeBremaecker, 433 F.2d at 734. The class definition must be sufficiently definite so that it is administratively feasible to identify members of the class. See Craft, 190 S.W.3d at 387-88; Dale, 204 S.W.3d at 178. However, the class `need not be so ascertainable from the definition that every potential member can be identified at the commencement of the action.' Craft, 190 S.W.3d at 387-88 (quoting In re Tetracycline Cases, 107 F.R.D. at 728); see also Dale, 204 S.W.3d at 178 A class definition may be indefinite for a number of different reasons. Two such reasons are pertinent to the discussion of this case. First, class membership cannot depend on individual merit determinations. Vandyne, 242 S.W.3d at 697; Davoll, 194 F.3d at 1146; Crosby v. Soc. Sec. Admin. of the United States, 796 F.2d 576, 579-80 (1st Cir.1986). Class definitions requiring merit determinations are inappropriate in that the members of the class could not be presently ascertainable under a class definition relying on merit determinations inasmuch as such determinations could not be made until the case is concluded. Dale, 204 S.W.3d at 178 (emphasis in original). Second, class membership must be based on objective, rather than subjective, criteria. See Oshana, 225 F.R.D. at 580-81; Vietnam Veterans, 63 F.R.D. at 680. To identify individual class members based on each individual's state of mind would be a Sisyphean task, requiring mini-hearings to determine whether each potential class member had the requisite state of mind to be a member of the class, undermining judicial economy and efficiency. . . . Dale, 204 S.W.3d at 178.