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What Class Action Reform Means to the Franchising Industry

Franchise attorneys say that the new federal Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (“CAFA”) will be beneficial to franchisors, but they do not predict that the new law means the end of class action litigation between franchisors and franchisees, nor by consumers or employees against franchise systems. In fact, some attorneys suggest that CAFA might result in more litigation, as plaintiffs file lawsuits in individual states rather than seeking national class action status through a case brought before a state court.

President Bush signed CAFA (109 P.L. 2, 119 Stat. 4 (2005)) on Feb. 18. In an effort to generate more consistency in class action rulings, the new law gives federal courts jurisdiction over multistate class actions (with a few exceptions) and makes it easier for defendants to move class actions from state courts to federal courts. In an effort to end the settlements that provide large fees to attorneys and trivial compensation to plaintiffs, the new law increases judicial supervision over settlements and requires notice to certain federal and state officials prior to settlement.

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