Xcel Energy Wins as Seventh Circuit Vacates Class Status Ruling

Xcel Energy Inc. won its appeal in a natural gas price-fixing suit after the Seventh Circuit vacated the certification of a plaintiff class and remanded the case to district court.

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in a Tuesday opinion said the district court didn’t do a sufficiently rigorous analysis when it certified the class. The ruling means that Xcel and other defendants accused of price fixing can now argue against certification at the district court level.

Despite its ruling, the three-judge panel noted that the class may still succeed at obtaining certification on remand.

“We would ...