State’s statutes on class actions in the U.S.A

a panoramic study

Abstract

This article aims to present a panoramic study of state laws about class actions in the United States, in order to demonstrate the influence of the structured model in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) on local rules with respect to the subject matter under discussion. This study reveals, in addition to the strong influence exercised by the FRCP, that the matter under discussion has undergone rapid changes, showing also the overlap between some of the admissibility requirements and categories of class actions traditionally known in federal courts of the United States. A recent trend observed is the approval of legislative reforms to match the state rules to recent changes introduced in Rule 23 of the FRCP.