‘Bad deal’ over class action coupon settlement dismissed

A federal appeals court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by the Arizona attorney general who believed the plaintiffs in a defective pressure cooker class action got a “bad deal” in settling a products liability lawsuit: a cooked-up settlement of mostly coupons and about $2 million, which went mostly to lawyers for their services.

The attorney general, on behalf of his office and the state of Arizona, objected in the district court to the terms of the settlement, arguing “it was lopsided and should be rejected,” according to documents in Tristar Products Inc. v. State of Arizona and Arizona Attorney General, filed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

A district court denied the state’s motion on the grounds that Arizona did not have “standing to intervene” as it was not a plaintiff. That court went on to approve the coupons settlement.

The appeals court went on to dismiss the state’s claim, writing that “none of the class” ever joined in on the objections to the settlement.