Class Action and new Forms of Aggregate Litigation in the United States

The Bocconi University’s Department of Legal Studies is proud to launch its Legal Studies Series with this debut volume, bringing together Arthur R. Miller and Helen Hershkoff, two esteemed U.S. professors of civil procedure with Bocconi professors Marta Cartabia and Cesare Cavallini for a public discussion of class actions and other new and emergent forms of aggregate litigation. Bocconi Rector Francesco Billari presided and emphasized the significance of the class action to the core mission of the Department of Legal Studies, namely, protection and expansion of justice. The far-ranging remarks focused on the origin and development of the class action, its utility in challenging racial and gendered inequalities, as well as market defects, and the potential—and limits—of aggregate litigation to resolve some of the most critical issues of our times, touching on technological change, environmental degradation, economic inequality, and democratic decline. Readers will find this volume to be not only informative, but also inspiring in its passion for justice.