Hyundai Fuel Economy Case Puts Nationwide Class Suits in Peril

Big business and plaintiffs’ attorneys rarely agree on anything. But this they both believe and will tell a federal appeals court Thursday: Nationwide class actions are on the line if it rejects a settlement among Hyundai Motor America, Kia Motor America Inc., and car owners over allegedly false statements about some cars’ fuel efficiencies.

For Hyundai, Kia, and a host of the U.S.'s largest companies, the opportunity to buy global peace through settlements not only in the consumer arena, but in all areas of litigation involving state law claims, from antitrust to employment matters, is at stake in the case ...