Johnson v. General Motors Corp.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
598 F.2d 432 (1979)
- Written by Mary Phelan D'Isa, JD
Facts
Johnson (plaintiff) sued General Motors Corporation (GM) (defendant) and sought damages for alleged employment discrimination. Before his individual suit against GM, Johnson had been an absent member of a class in a class action against GM that successfully sought only injunctive relief for the alleged employment discrimination. The prior class action had been certified under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b), which did not require notice to class members. The district court held that Johnson’s individual claim for damages was barred by res judicata (claim preclusion). Johnson appealed and argued that due process required that he should have received notice in the prior class action before his monetary claim could be barred.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Clark, J.)
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