It’s no secret that discovery in class actions can be abused to serve goals that have nothing to do with the merits of the case. In some cases, plaintiffs will use the threat of extensive discovery to leverage settlements. In others, plaintiffs may use their proto-class status as excuse for a fishing expedition for new clients or causes of action. It may seem like there’s not much a defendant can do to combat these abuses, but a 30-year-old case – Oppenheimer Fund v. Sanders – offers one possible solution.

In Oppenheimer, the named plaintiffs sued Oppenheimer … Continue Reading