United States Ninth Circuit

In a proposed class action alleging that Dell designed, manufactured, and sold defective notebook computers, dismissal of the action for failure to prosecute is reversed where: 1) plaintiffs did not cause any unreasonable delay in the progression of their case; and 2) a choice-of-law provision is unenforceable, and a class action waiver pursuant to which Dell obtained an order compelling arbitration was unconscionable under California law because it satisfied the Discover Bank test, and California had a materially greater interest than Texas in applying its own law.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/07/2009
• Decided 02/05/2010
• Published 02/05/2010

Judges

• Before: MARY M. SCHROEDER and MARSHA S. BERZON, Circuit Judges, and LYLE E. STROM, District Judge.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jonathan D. Selbin (argued) and Kristen E. Law, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, New York, NY; Cynthia B. Chapman and Cory S. Fein, Caddell & Chapman, Houston, TX; John L. Malesovas, Malesovas & Martin, LLP, Waco, TX; Anthony L. Vitullo, Fee, Smith, Sharp & Vitullo, LLP, Dallas, TX; and Paul R. Kiesel and Patrick DeBlase, Beverly Hills, CA, for the plaintiffs-appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Paul Schlaud (argued), Kim E. Brightwell, and Matt Frederick, Reeves & Brightwell, LLP, Austin, TX; Douglas R. Young and C. Brandon Wisoff, San Francisco, CA, for the defendant-appellee.