Plaintiffs lawyers are applauding an appellate court ruling that two Miami cases filed by passengers who survived the Costa Concordia shipwreck belong in state court rather than federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit late Monday affirmed decisions by U.S. District Judge William Dimitrouleas in Fort Lauderdale remanding the passenger lawsuits to Miami-Dade Circuit Court.