New Hampshire
How Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor applies in New Hampshire: state-specific rules, key cases, and bar exam notes for Civil Procedure.
New Hampshire follows similar principles to those established in Amchem, particularly regarding class action certification and the necessity of commonality and predominate issues among class members. The focus remains on ensuring that the class action serves the interests of justice and efficiency.
In New Hampshire, class actions must meet the requirements of RSA 507-B, which outlines the necessity for common questions of law or fact and the typicality of claims among class members.
The court held that the requirements for class certification were not met as individual issues predominated over common questions of law or fact.
Class certification was denied because the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that the common questions would predominate over the individual issues.
While New Hampshire's approach to class actions aligns closely with the federal standard set forth in Rule 23, New Hampshire law places a greater emphasis on the specific articulations of RSA 507-B. Both systems require predominance and typicality, but New Hampshire courts may scrutinize the individual nuances of state-specific claims more rigorously.
Class actions and the principles established in Amchem are often tested in the New Hampshire bar exam, specifically under civil procedure and civil litigation topics.