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Last year, the Ninth Circuit curtailed the use of Rule 12(f) motions to strike in a case of first impression called Whittlestone, Inc. v. Handi-Craft Co., 618 F.3d 970 (9th Cir. 2010). The narrow holding of Whittlestone is that “Rule 12(f) does not authorize district courts to strike claims for damages on the ground that such claims are precluded as a matter of law.” Id. at 974-975. Rule 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure states that a district court “may strike from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” “The function of a 12(f) motion to strike is to avoid the expenditure of time and money that must arise from litigating spurious issues by dispensing with those issues prior to trial . . . .” Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty, 984 F.2d 1524, 1527 (9th Cir. 1993) (overruled on other grounds in Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc., 510 U.S. 517 (1994)).
Continue Reading Using a Rule 12(f) Motion to Strike Class Allegations in the Ninth Circuit: The Aftermath of Whittlestone

In Sanchez v. Valencia Holding Company, LLC, — Cal.Rptr.3d —-, 2011 WL 5027488 (Cal.App. 2 Dist. Oct. 24, 2011), the California Court of Appeal attempts an end run around the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 131 S.Ct. 1740 (2011). In Concepcion, the Supreme Court found that the Federal Arbitration Act (the “FAA”) preempts state efforts to invalidate or re-write arbitration agreements by applying rules that would not result in the invalidation of other contracts. “The principal purpose of the FAA is to ensure that private arbitration agreements are enforced according to their terms.” Id. at 1748. Specifically, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the FAA preempts state law restrictions on class action waivers in consumer arbitration agreements.
Continue Reading The California Court Of Appeal Disagrees With The U.S. Supreme Court On The Enforceability Of Arbitration Agreements