US Supreme Court Drops Key Class Certification Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis as improvidently granted, leaving in place a lower court's decision that allowed certification of a class action including both injured and uninjured members. The case involved claims by visually impaired individuals against Labcorp's self-service kiosks and raised the question of whether federal courts may certify damages class actions when some class members have no injury. Although the Supreme Court initially agreed to hear the case, it concluded after oral arguments that the issue presented was not properly framed for review, leading to dismissal without addressing the merits. Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented, arguing the Court should have ruled that classes including uninjured members cannot be certified, warning that overbroad certification exposes businesses to excessive liability and coercive settlements. Plaintiffs' attorneys hailed the dismissal as preserving an important tool for holding corporations accountable, while the decision attracted widespread attention from business advocates and legal experts. This dismissal marks the third time during the term that the Court has declined to decide key questions on class actions after initially granting review.