United States Seventh Circuit

Dismissal for lack of standing of a series of class actions under 42 U.S.C. section 1982 brought by descendants of African-American slaves against companies or successor companies that were, or assisted, slave-owners is: 1) modified so that the dismissal of all claims other than those brought by legal representatives of a slave's estate or those with a claim under consumer protection law is without prejudice; 2) modified to dismiss an individual claim without prejudice for lack of diversity; 3) affirmed where the claims of the legal representatives violate the statute of limitations, thus dismissal with prejudice was proper on the merits; 4) reversed where the consumer protection claims were not barred at the threshold; and 5) reversed where a set of suits removed from California state court must remain in the Chicago district court for further pretrial proceedings to the extent that the suits make consumer protection claims.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/13/2006
• Published 12/13/2006

Judges

• POSNER, Circuit Judge., Before EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge, and POSNER and MANION, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Bruce I. Afran (argued), Carl J. Mayer, Princeton, NJ, Roger S. Wareham (argued), Wareham Law Office, Brooklyn, NY, Benjamin O. Nwoye, Nwoye & Associates, Chicago, IL, Barbara K. Ratliff (argued), Los Angeles, CA, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Andrew R. McGaan, Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago, IL, Owen C. Pell (argued), White & Case, New York, NY, Andrew L. Sandler, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Llp, Washington, DC, Alan S. Madans (argued), Rothschild, Barry & Myers, Chicago, IL, Thomas F. Gardner, Jones Day, Chicago, IL, Heidi K. Hubbard, Williams & Connolly, Washington, DC, Christina M. Tchen, Ryan J. Rohlfsen, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Llp, Chicago, IL, James A. Fletcher, Fletcher & Sippel, Chicago, IL, Michael T. Novak, Homewood, IL, Debra Torres, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, New York, NY, John H. Beisner, O'Melveny & Meyers, Washington, DC, Maya M. Eckstein, Hunton & Williams, Richmond, VA, for Defendants-Appellees.