Class Actions and Class Certification

Class Certification in Antitrust

Class Certification in Antitrust

NERA experts regularly prepare economic analyses that examine whether or not impact (the fact of damage) and damages (the overcharge amount) can be proved on a common, class-wide basis for all members of a proposed class using common evidence, or if instead individual evidence is needed to demonstrate impact and damages customer by customer, or for different groups of customers. The most effective economic evidence regarding class certification will consider both economic theory and empirical tests, and will carefully examine:

  • the facts and allegations specific to the complaint;
  • the characteristics of the products or services at issue;
  • the prices actually paid and the pricing mechanisms for the products or services; and
  • the characteristics of the proposed class and class representatives and the nature of the alleged conspiracy.

When these analyses demonstrate that significant variability exists among the alleged class members, it may not be possible to establish impact (or damages) on a class-wide basis. In such cases, the amount of damages sustained by a customer will need to account for individual factors and cannot be reduced to a single class-wide formula.

NERA's experts also use economic and econometric analyses to identify potential conflicts among members of the purported class. For example, the alleged conspiracy may affect different members of the purported class significantly differently. Alternatively, empirical results from damages models may uncover potential conflicts among the members of the purported class.

Name Title Location Phone Email
Dr. Lawrence Wu President San Francisco +1 415 291 1007 lawrence.wu@nera.com
Dr. Christian Dippon Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Global Energy, Environment, Communications & Infrastructure Practice
Washington, DC
New York City
+1 202 466 9270
+1 212 345 1732
christian.dippon@nera.com
Bradley A. Heys Senior Managing Director Toronto
New York City
+1 416 868 7312
+1 212 345 3000
brad.heys@nera.com
Dr. Graeme Hunter Senior Managing Director New York City +1 212 345 7724 graeme.hunter@nera.com
Dr. Denise Neumann Martin Senior Managing Director Miami +1 305 808 7880 denise.martin@nera.com
Dr. Christine Siegwarth Meyer Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Intellectual Property Practice
White Plains, NY +1 914 448 4119 christine.meyer@nera.com
Dr. Ramsey Shehadeh Senior Managing Director Washington, DC +1 212 345 6089 ramsey.shehadeh@nera.com
Dr. Garrett Glasgow Director San Francisco +1 415 291 1029 garrett.glasgow@nera.com
Tilling Lee Director Washington, DC +1 202 466 9268 tilling.lee@nera.com
Bryan Ray Director White Plains, NY +1 914 448 4004 bryan.ray@nera.com
Dr. Michael Baye Affiliated Academic Washington, DC +1 202 466 9298 michael.baye.affiliate@nera.com
Mark L. Berenblut Affiliated Consultant Toronto
New York City
London
+1 416 868 7311
+1 917 475 0020
+44 20 3769 1096
mark.berenblut.affiliate@nera.com
Dr. Andrew Joskow Affiliated Consultant Washington, DC +1 202 466 3510 andrew.joskow.affiliate@nera.com
Title Type Author
Trends in Canadian Securities Class Actions: 2021 Update White Paper Bradley A. Heys, Robert Patton, Jielei Mao
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Snapshot of Recent Trends in Asbestos Litigation 2021 Update Mary Elizabeth C. Stern and Lucy P. Allen
Class Action Lawsuits: Opportunities to Apply Econometrics and Statistics Published Article Dr. Ling Ling Ang, Dr. Jordan Milev, and Dr. John Scalf
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Recent Trends in Securities Class Action Litigation Janeen McIntosh and Svetlana Starykh
Trends in Canadian Securities Class Actions: 2020 Update Report Bradley A. Heys, Robert Patton, and Jielei Mao
Recent Trends in Securities Class Action Litigation: 2020 Full-Year Review Report Janeen McIntosh and Svetlana Starykh
Recent Trends in Securities Class Action Litigation: H1 2020 Update Report Janeen McIntosh and Svetlana Starykh
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