Harley Riders’ Punitive Claim Keeps Pricing Suit in Federal Court

Harley-Davidson won the right to litigate in federal court class action claims alleging it engaged in deceptive pricing of its iconic motorcycles after the Ninth Circuit addressed in a novel ruling Tuesday what it takes to put punitives into play for CAFA jurisdiction.

The decision addressed for the first time in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit the question of what a defendant must show to meet the Class Action Fairness Act’s $5 million amount-in-controversy requirement when relying on potential punitive damages to get there.

The lawsuit, brought by plaintiff Matthew D. Greene, alleges that Harley-Davidson failed ...