More Than Four Filed Every Day Superior Courts Are in Session
SACRAMENTO - A review of class action lawsuits filed in California courts over the past three years shows that the state is still a happy hunting ground for class action lawyers, despite the 2005 federal class action reforms designed to move many national class action cases into federal courts.
“Data shows that a state like California with a huge population and laws tilted against defendants remains a major forum for class action lawsuits, despite the 2005 federal Class Action Fairness Act,” said John H. Sullivan, president of the Civil Justice Association of California, which commissioned the study.
Research in six major California counties detected approximately 3,400 class actions filed in superior courts for the three-year period ending June 30 of this year. “That’s an average of more than four class action lawsuits each and every day the courthouses are open,” Sullivan said. Nearly half of those suits (47%) involve employment laws. The second largest group (36%) was in the consumer action category.
“California is experiencing a perfect storm of employment litigation,” Sullivan said. “First, the state’s class action rules favor plaintiffs’ lawyers. Second, California’s unique rules for distinguishing hourly from salaried employees and governing meals and rest periods are trapping too many employers - which lead to lawsuits. Third, our courts have been stretched thin with a growing criminal and civil caseload, putting pressure on the capacity to deal with complex class action lawsuits.”
Case filings grew over the three year period studied: 1,093 in 2004-05; 1,180 in 2005-06; 1,156 in 2006 -07.
Los Angeles County experienced the most filings (1,753; 51% of the six counties). Figures from the other five counties are:
- Alameda County: 218 filings, 7%
- Orange County: 378 filings, 11%
- San Diego County: 457 filings, 13%
- San Francisco County: 508 filings, 15%
- Santa Clara County: 115 filings, 3%
In addition to employment law (47% of total) and consumer actions (36%), other filing categories identified were environmental (6%), product liability (3%), shareholder (3%), civil rights (2%), governmental (2%), and construction defect (1%).
The study was conducted in each county by legal researchers at the international law firm of O’Melveny & Myers, LLP, which has offices throughout California.
Data was compiled by examining the dockets for each of the six counties for the period studied. The docket study was supplemented in certain instances by reviewing the filed complaints themselves and by reference to private services, such as those offered by commercial vendors and local bar associations, providing information on filed cases.
California does not have an official single statewide source of detailed information on types of civil lawsuits.