February 7, 2012

 

As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Quarles & Brady attorneys achieved a significant class action victory on February 3, 2012, for the Milwaukee Public Schools system (“MPS”) before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. This case has a ten-year history. The trial court had previously certified a class, potentially consisting of tens of thousands of students, alleging problems with the manner in which MPS provided special education and accommodations. The trial court also ordered a series of requirements that could have cost MPS up to $40 million dollars to implement. Mike Aldana of our Milwaukee office headed up the litigation team, which included King Poor, national chair of the Firm’s Appellate Litigation Group. Mike presented oral argument in September 2010, and after a 17-month wait, the Court of Appeals issued a 51-page decision that reversed the trial court on all issues and found no grounds for certifying a class action. The decision relied on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in its Dukes v. Wal-Mart decision and establishes an important precedent in limiting the circumstances in which a class can be certified.

Quarles & Brady’s Class Action Team represents clients in class action defense across a wide variety of industries around the country, including in employment disputes, securities, product liability and other types of commercial and business claims. The Firm’s Appellate Litigation Group handles appeals in state and federal courts across the country, including the United States Supreme Court.

For more details on this case or if you have any questions about Quarles & Brady’s Class Action Defense Team or Appellate Litigation Group, please contact Mike Aldana at (414) 277-5151 / , King Poor at (312) 715-5143 /  or Dan Conley at (414) 277-5609 / .