Jolly v. FurtherEd, Inc.

Background

Two putative class actions were pending against FurtherEd, Inc., doing business as Lawline. The plaintiffs were Kamilah Jolly and Diego Alvarez-Miranda Ezpeleta. They moved to consolidate the actions and to appoint Matthew J. Langley of Almeida Law Group LLC and Arun Ravindran of Hedin LLP as interim co-lead class counsel. The motion was unopposed.

Consolidation

The court applied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a), which permits consolidation of actions involving common questions of law or fact. The court found that the two actions involved common legal and factual questions. Considering convenience, expedition, and judicial economy, the court consolidated the actions into a single case under docket number 1:24-cv-06401-LJL. The Clerk was directed to close docket number 1:24-cv-06709-LJL and file the order in both case files. Counsel were directed to make filings only under the consolidated-action docket number.

Interim Class Counsel

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(g)(3) permits a court to designate interim counsel for a proposed class before deciding whether to certify the action as a class action. The court recognized the attorneys’ agreement to serve as co-counsel and their qualifications, experience, and firms’ sophistication in this area of law. It concluded that the proposed class’s interests would be best served by the joint appointment.

Ruling

The motion to appoint Matthew J. Langley and Arun Ravindran as interim co-lead class counsel was granted. The court also consolidated the two actions. The order did not address class certification or the merits of the underlying claims.