Confirm favorite deletion?
Civil Procedure Keyed to Mueller
Madison v. Chalmette Refining, L.L.C.
Facts
A number of students, supervised by parents and teachers, participated in a historical reenactment at the Chalmette National Battlefield, which was adjacent to the Chalmette Refinery. That afternoon, petroleum coke dust was released from the refinery and allegedly traveled over the battlefield. Five attendees or parents of attendees at the reenactment (plaintiffs) sued Chalmette Refining, L.L.C. (Chalmette) (defendant), seeking damages for, inter alia, personal injury, pain and suffering, psychological harm, evacuation, economic losses, and property losses. Plaintiffs sought class certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 23(b)(3), seeking to represent all injured persons who had been at the battlefield at the time of the incident. As part of discovery regarding certification, Chalmette deposed the named representatives. The plaintiffs conducted no discovery. More than two years later, the court held a certification hearing at which no evidence was introduced. The court orally granted certification after the hearing. Approximately two months later, the court issued a written order on its decision, stating that the predominant issue was whether class members were at the battlefield or not and exposed or not. The court further stated that any individual issues relating to damages could be reserved for resolution on an individualized basis. In support of its decision, the court cited two cases in which certification had been granted. Chalmette appealed pursuant to FRCP 23(f), which authorizes interlocutory appeals of class-certification decisions.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.