Evidence Commons^™

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Civil Procedure--Class Actions--Order Dismissing Class Action that Leaves Plaintiff To Litigate a Small Monetary Claim Is Not a Final Appealable Order Under 28 U.S.C. § 1291

Plaintiff consumer, claiming to represent one and one-half million purchasers of defendants" products, filed a class action under section 4 of the Clayton Act, seeking treble damages, costs, and attorney's fees from defendants for alleged antitrust violations. Defendants successfully moved for a stay of proceedings pending the district court's determination of whether the case could be maintained as a class action.The court found the class unmanageable and, in accordance with Rule 23(c)(1) of the …

Rule 43(A) And The Communication Privileged Understate Law: An Analysis Of Confusion, George W. Pugh

Vanderbilt Law Review

What rules govern the admissibility of evidence in federal court? Rule 43 (a) purports to provide the answer with respect to cases falling within the ambit of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.' Is the Rule working satisfactorily, or should it now be abandoned in favor of a new and different solution? The problem thus presented is broad and pervasive. A definitive answer will not be attempted in this paper. Instead, the writer proposes to give only a general discussion of the broader aspects of the Rule, and to limit analysis of the cases to a very restricted area--the meaning …

Procedure And Evidence, Edmund M. Morgan

Vanderbilt Law Review

Demurrer: The Tennessee cases reiterate the orthodox proposition that a demurrer admits the facts alleged or averred in the pleading to which it is interposed.' It is perhaps unnecessary to note that this proposition is true only when the problem concerns the sufficiency of the allegations or averments in the pleading. In truth, the demurrer is merely a default as to the facts and a tender of issue on the law. If the demurrer is overruled and the action is for unliquidated damages, the plaintiff's averment as to the amount of the damages is not taken as true; he must …

The Scope Of Summary Judgment Under The Federal Rules, Henry N. Williams

Vanderbilt Law Review

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provide that, under appropriate circumstances, either the plaintiff or the defendant may seek and obtain a summary judgment.' The detailed requirements of Rule 56 have been discussed elsewhere, and they will not be discussed herein other than as they aid in delineating the area covered by summary judgments. In determining the scope of Rule 56, the purpose of the rules as a whole must be considered as well as the effect of the discovery procedures of the rules. In addition the summary judgment rule must be explicitly distinguished from a motion for judgment on …

Federal Civil Procedure Rule 43(A): A Freak Among The Rules, Thomas F. Green Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

Rule 43(a) is an anomaly in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.'Attorney General Cummings, the chief sponsor of the enabling act, apparently did not contemplate the inclusion of any rule dealing with the admissibility of evidence. The American Bar Association, which sponsored similar bills before Congress for years, laid much of the groundwork but abandoned the project prior to successful completion. A report of the Association's committee charged with the duty of "pushing" the then current version of the bill stated that the court rules were not to deal with evidence. The broadest expression in the bill which was enacted …