Cree Beats Class Status in LED Bulb Suit After Expert Barred

Cree Inc. defeated class certification in a suit alleging it duped Californians about the life of its LED lightbulbs, after a federal court in the state said the plaintiff failed to establish the necessary common legal or factual issues.

Jeff Young alleged he overpaid because of false representations about bulb longevity and cost savings. He relied exclusively on Gary Allen, who holds a doctorate in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University, to establish that Cree lightbulbs share common flaws that cause premature burnout, the court said.

But Allen’s method is unreliable and Young didn’t articulate an alternative way to prove why ...