Bar/Bri Class Certified

Rodriguez v. West Publishing Corp., No. 05 CV 3222 (C.D. Calif. class certified May 16, 2006). My initial post on the case.

Plaintiffs’ counsel in the Rodriguez case has announced that its class has been certified, clearing a major hurdle in the antitrust litigation over Bar/Bri’s alleged efforts to divide and conquer the bar exam preparation market. The judge also appointed a special master in the case.

Note that there are at least two other pending lawsuits in the same matter:

* Brewer v. West Publishing Co., No. 05-06211 (C.D. Cal.)

* Park v. Thomson Corp. (SDNY)

It’s not immediately clear to me what, if any, effect the Rodriguez class certification will have on these other lawsuits.