Class Actions -- 2019



FCA US LLC and Harman Int’l Industries, Inc. v. Flynn   (U.S. Supreme Court)

No harm class action standing

The NAM filed an amicus brief to oppose class action standing where there is no harm. A class of plaintiffs allege that Jeep infotainment systems have cyber-security “vulnerabilities” that render the subject vehicles “more” susceptible to hacking than other vehicles, though no FCA US vehicle has ever been hacked in real world conditions. This case raises important and unsettled questions regarding standing and class certification standards, which threaten to open the floodgates to class action lawsuits over every connected product in which consumers could allege that the product they own is “defective” because it is more “vulnerable” to a hack than other similar products even if no hack has ever occurred in real world conditions. The NAM’s brief explains why certifying a class for a mere risk of a “hack” is not a violation of a manufacturers’ standard of care, is not compensable harm and circumvents clear precedent. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case.


Related Documents:
NAM brief  (October 29, 2018)