Mercedes Owner’s State Claim Doesn’t Opt Her Out of Class Deal

A member of a class that sued Mercedes-Benz LLC over an engine defect can’t bring individual claims against the automaker because her state suit didn’t substitute for following proper opt-out procedures, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Pattiann McAdams is prevented from pursuing her claims by the federal class action settlement that resolved the class’s claims related to Mercedes-Benz cars equipped with certain M272 engines, the court said. Her state-court claims were indisputably captured by the settlement in federal court, and she failed to submit a request for exclusion, Justice Patrick F. Fischer wrote for the court.

The order approving ...