Supreme Court Reverses Class Certification in Wal-Mart

Summary: In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, Inc., No. 10-277, slip op. (U.S. June 20, 2011), the Supreme Court significantly restricted the use of class actions in a case involving claims of employment discrimination on behalf of a class of 1.5 million women, but its impact is likely to be felt in many other areas of the law. Because class action decisions can be altered or amended at any time prior to final judgment, the potential impact of this decision on both pending and future cases is enormous. The attached Client Alert examines the decision and the widespread application it may have on all types of class action claims from antitrust to personal injury to consumer fraud.