WASHINGTON (Jan. 25, 2005) — Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has introduced the Class Action Fairness Act into the Senate.
The bill was assigned to the Judiciary Committee. Identical to a bill considered in the last Congress, the Class Action Fairness Act would:
* Mandate federal jurisdiction over any class-action lawsuit worth more than $5 million;
* Create a “Consumer Class Action Bill of Rights” designed to ensure that any class-action settlement benefits plaintiffs rather than their attorneys; and
* Require that interstate class actions be considered in federal rather than state courts.
The Class Action Fairness Act passed the House in June 2003, but failed to advance in the Senate.