Ashcroft v. Iqbal

Holding that a claim is plausible where a plaintiff's allegations enable the court to draw a "reasonable inference" the defendant is liable

Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly

Holding that a complaint's allegations should "contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face' "

Dura Pharmaceuticals v. Broudo

Holding that the securities statutes have a private of action “not to provide investors with broad insurance against market losses, but to protect them against those economic losses that misrepresentations actually cause”

Gen. Tel. Co. of Sw. v. Falcon

Holding that named plaintiff must prove “much more than the validity of his own claim”; the individual plaintiff must show that “the individual's claim and the class claims will share common questions of law or fact and that the individual's claim will be typical of the class claims,” explicitly referencing the “commonality” and “typicality” requirements of Rule 23

Shady Grove Orthopedic v. Allstate Ins. Co.

Holding that rules of civil procedure allowing multiple claims to be litigated together "neither change plaintiffs' separate entitlements to relief nor abridge defendants' rights; they alter only how the claims are processed"

In re Tobacco II Cases

Holding class representatives had standing to challenge common marketing of cigarettes despite differences in the advertisements or statements on which class members relied

Castano v. the Am. Tobacco Co.

Holding that the district court had not engaged in a rigorous analysis of predominance—that is, whether a Rule 23(b) class type was appropriate

Vinole v. Countrywide Home Loans

Holding that district court abused its discretion in certifying class by relying on uniform exemption policy "to the near exclusion of other factors"

Denney v. Deutsche Bank AG

Holding "no class may be certified that contains members lacking Article III standing"

Molski v. Gleich

Holding that decisions based on per se rules are not appropriate because they nullify the discretion vested in the district court through Rule 23

Rule 12 - Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented; Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings; Consolidating Motions; Waiving Defenses; Pretrial Hearing

Granting the court discretion to exclude matters outside the pleadings presented to the court in defense of a motion to dismiss

Rule 8 - General Rules of Pleading

Holding that "[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading. . . ."

Rule 23 - Class Actions

Holding that, to certify a class, the court must find that "questions of law or fact common to class members predominate over any questions affecting only individual members"

Section 1761 - Definitions

Defining “consumer” under the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act as “an individual who seeks or acquires, by purchase or lease, any goods or services for personal, family, or household purposes”

Section 14 - Construction of words used in present tense

Section 14 - Seal required to be affixed to paper