Logitech May Convince 9th Cir. to Ban Alsup’s Class ‘Gag Rule’

A federal judge’s standing order barring class settlement talks before class certification “appears to be inconsistent” with the rule governing class actions, a Ninth Circuit judge said at oral argument July 18.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 contemplates that parties will settle before a class is certified, Judge Richard A. Paez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said.

But that is just what Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California forbids in every class action he oversees, Logitech Inc. argued.

The company told the Ninth Circuit it should ...