Paul Karlsgodt at Class Action Blawg reports that the bill “sets forth some specific requirements for class certification that are much more exacting than those required under federal Rule 23 and most state class action rules” and summarizes the provisions as follows (quoting directly):

• clear and convincing evidence would be required to justify a grant of class certification
• orders granting class certification would have to be supported by a detailed written statement of the reasons and evidence justifying the decision
• in assessing superiority, the court would be required to consider, among other things, ”whether it is probable that the amount which may be recovered by individual class members will be large enough in relation to the expense and effort of administering the action to justify maintaining the case as a class action”
• there would be a rebuttable presumption against class certification in cases involving claims where individual knowledge, causation, and reliance are required elements
• certification of a case as a class action would not relieve any class member of the requirement of proving individual injury or damages
• class notice must include a statement of ”the possible financial consequences for the class”
• the law would expressly provide that the plaintiff would bear the initial cost of distributing notice to the class
• appeals from orders granting or denying class certification could be taken as a matter of right the same as a final judgment, and trial court proceedings would be automatically stayed pending the appeal.

Filed under: Arizona, class actions