Ikea Workers Must Hire Counsel to Opt-in to Class Age Bias Suits

Allowing a group of Ikea employees to participate without an attorney in three lawsuits alleging discrimination against workers 40-and-over as a class would present manageability issues, and the group must retain class counsel or their own lawyers to remain plaintiffs, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled.

The question of whether opt-in plaintiffs have the right to proceed pro se in class actions was one of apparent first impression at the federal level, Judge Anita B. Brody said.

But “courts across the jurisdictions have approved notices that instruct opt-in plaintiffs to choose the named plaintiff’s counsel or hire counsel of their ...