SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday sided with plaintiffs in a pair of price-fixing suits against manufacturers of flat-panel screens, finding the actions brought by California and Washington should be litigated in state court.
In affirming U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, a unanimous three-judge panel said the parens patriae suits — brought by state attorneys general on behalf of government agencies and consumers — were not class actions under the Class Action Fairness Act. Manufacturers hoping to keep the fight out of the more plaintiff-friendly state courts had argued the states’ claims were disguised class actions with consumers as real parties in interest.
