Constitution Center
400 7th St SW
Washington
DC
20024
Event Description
On October 29, 2019, the Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission held a public workshop in Washington, DC on improving class action settlement notices for consumers.
The event addressed current practices and research related to class action notices, redress methods, claims rates, check-cashing rates, and similar issues. The workshop included several panels of experts representing a wide range of perspectives, including consumer groups, defense and plaintiff attorneys, class action administrators, and government agencies.
For more than a decade, the Commission’s Class Action Fairness Project has followed developments in class action cases to ensure that class action settlements in consumer protection and competition matters provide appropriate benefits to consumers. As part of its efforts, the FTC has monitored class actions; filed amicus briefs in appropriate cases; coordinated with state, federal, and private groups to gather information and opine on matters that merit FTC attention; and followed the progress of legislation and class action rule changes.
To further the FTC’s understanding of these issues and develop information to help improve settlement outcomes for consumers, FTC staff recently completed a staff report summarizing the findings of two studies involving consumer class actions: the Administrator Study and the Notice Study. In the first study, FTC staff obtained a sample of more than 140 consumer class action cases from large class action administrators. Based on the data collected, the FTC analyzed several characteristics of these settlements, such as notice methods and redress (i.e., compensation) amounts available, and how these characteristics relate to outcomes, including claim-filing and check-cashing rates. In the second study, the staff conducted an Internet-based consumer research study to explore consumer perceptions of class action notices, including whether consumers understand the options provided in such notices.
The workshop was free and open to the public.
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8:00-9:00 am
Registration
Enter at 7th and D Street, SW and proceed through airport-style security.
9:00-9:10 am
Opening
James Kohm
Associate Director
Division of Â鶹´«Ã½
Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTCWelcome
Laura Koss
Assistant Director
Division of Â鶹´«Ã½
Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC9:10-9:35 am
FTC Class Action Consumer Research
Shiva Koohi
Economist
Bureau of Economics, FTC9:35-10:35 am
Panel 1: Current Practices - Problems and Opportunities in Reaching Consumers
Panelists:
Cameron Azari
EpiqElizabeth Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLPBeth Chun
Office of the Attorney General of TexasHon. Jacqueline Corley
Northern District of CaliforniaTodd Hilsee
The Hilsee Group LLCBrian Perryman
Hassan Zavareei
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Tycko & Zavareei LLPModerator:
Robin Moore, FTC10:35-10:50 am
Break
10:50-11:50 am
Panel 2: Researching the Past and Predicting the Future
Panelists:Nicole Christ
FTCBrian Fitzpatrick
Vanderbilt University Law SchoolAlison Frankel
Shiva Koohi
Reuters
FTCDavid Siffert
Center on Civil Justice at NYU School of LawRichard Simmons
Analytics Consulting LLCShannon Wheatman
Kinsella MediaModerator:
Hampton Newsome, FTC11:50 am-12:45 pm
Panel 3: Looking Ahead – Challenges and Opportunities For Increasing Consumer Recovery Rates
Panelists:Elizabeth Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLPBeth Chun
Office of the Attorney General of TexasHon. Jacqueline Corley
Northern District of CaliforniaBrian Fitzpatrick
Vanderbilt University Law SchoolMatt Garretson
Signal Interactive Media
Amanda Rose
Vanderbilt University Law SchoolShannon Wheatman
Kinsella MediaModerator:
Robin Moore, FTC12:45-12:55 pm
Closing Remarks
FileAgenda (53.7 KB)
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Transcript - Text
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Location
Request for Comments
Interested parties may at Regulations.gov, or in paper form on these topics or other related topics through November 22, 2019. Paper comments may be mailed to Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Suite CC-5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20580, or they may be delivered to Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 400 7th Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20024. Please write “Class Action Notices, Project No. P024210†on your comment so that it will be readily identified with this workshop.
Comments will be posted on the roundtable’s public webpage.