Supreme Court Affirms Class Certification And Judgment Predicated Upon "Representative Evidence"

On March 22, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a decision permitting class plaintiffs to rely on "representative" or "sample" evidence to satisfy the prerequisites to class certification and certain elements of their claims.  See Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, No. 14-1146, 2016 WL 1092414 (Mar. 22, 2016).  This is one of the relatively few recent class action decisions by the Court that could be construed as something other than a victory for class defendants.  As Justice Thomas stated in dissent, the decision arguably is inconsistent with the Court's pro-defendant decisions in Wal-Mart and Comcast.  We have previously discussed the Supreme Court's recent class action jurisprudence, including the Wal-Mart and Comcast decisions.