Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017

Sponsor: ROBERT GOODLATTE (R-VA)

Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017 TITLE I--FAIRNESS IN CLASS ACTION LITIGATION Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 (Sec. 103) This bill amends the federal judicial code to prohibit federal courts from certifying class actions unless: in a class action seeking monetary relief for personal injury or economic loss, each proposed class member suffered the same type and scope of injury as the named class representatives; no class representatives or named plaintiffs are relatives of class counsel, except in a private securities litigation brought as a class action subject to the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and in a class action seeking monetary relief, the party seeking to maintain the class action demonstrates a reliable and administratively feasible mechanism for the court to determine whether putative class members fall within the class definition and for the distribution of any monetary relief directly to a substantial majority of class members. Class counsel must disclose: (1) whether any proposed class representatives or named plaintiffs are relatives of, present or former employees or clients of, or contractually related to class counsel; (2) the circumstances under which such representatives or plaintiffs agreed to be included in the complaint; and (3) any other class action in which such representatives and plaintiffs have a similar role.

Law Topic assigned by the Congressional Research Service.