Part I · Rule 52: Parties · Last amended January 1, 2026 · Last verified July 22, 2026
(a) Prerequisites. One or more members of a class may sue or be sued as representative parties on behalf of all members only if:
(1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable;
(2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class;
(3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and
(4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.
(b) Types of Class Actions. A class action may be maintained if Rule 52.08(a) is satisfied, and if:
(1) prosecuting separate actions by or against individual class members would create a risk of:
(A) inconsistent or varying adjudications with respect to individual class members that would establish incompatible standards of conduct for the party opposing the class; or
(B) adjudications with respect to individual class members that, as a practical matter, would be dispositive of the interests of the other members not parties to the individual adjudications or would substantially impair or impede their ability to protect their interests;
(2) the party opposing the class has acted or refused to act on grounds that apply generally to the class, so that final injunctive relief or corresponding declaratory relief is appropriate respecting the class as a whole; or
(3) the court finds that the questions of law or fact common to class members predominate over any questions affecting only individual members, and that a class action is superior to other available methods for fairly and efficiently adjudicating the controversy. The matters pertinent to these findings include:
(A) the class members' interests in individually controlling the prosecution or defense of separate actions;
(B) the extent and nature of any litigation concerning the controversy already begun by or against class members;
(C) the desirability or undesirability of concentrating the litigation of the claims in the particular forum; and
(D) the likely difficulties in managing a class action.
(c) Certification Order – Notice to Class Members – Judgment – Issues Classes – Subclasses.
(1) Certification Order.
(A) Time to Issue. At an early practicable time after a person sues or is sued as a class representative, the court shall determine by order whether to certify the action as a class action.
(B) Defining the Class – Appointing Class Counsel. An order that certifies a class action shall define the class and the class claims, issues, or defenses, and shall appoint class counsel under Rule 52.08(g).
(C) Altering or Amending the Order. An order that grants or denies class certification may be altered or amended before final judgment.
(2) Notice.
(A) For (b)(1) or (b)(2) Classes. For any class certified under Rule 52.08(b)(1) or Rule 52.08(b)(2), the court may direct appropriate notice to the class.
(B) For (b)(3) Classes. For any class certified under Rule 52.08(b)(3), or upon ordering notice under Rule 52.08(e)(1) to a class proposed to be certified for purposes of settlement under Rule 52.08(b)(3), the court shall direct to class members the best notice that is practicable under the circumstances, including individual notice to all members who can be identified through reasonable effort. The notice may be by one or more of the following: United States mail, electronic means, or other appropriate means. The notice shall clearly and concisely state in plain, easily understood language:
(i) the nature of the action;
(ii) the definition of the class certified;
(iii) the class claims, issues, or defenses;
(iv) that a class member may enter an appearance through an attorney if the member so desires;
(v) that the court will exclude from the class any member who requests exclusion;
(vi) the time and manner for requesting exclusion; and
(vii) the binding effect of a class judgment on members under Rule 52.08(c)(3).
(3) Judgment. Whether or not favorable to the class, the judgment in a class action shall:
(A) for any class certified under Rule 52.08(b)(1) or Rule 52.08(b)(2), include and describe those whom the court finds to be class members; and
(B) for any class certified under Rule 52.08(b)(3), include and specify or describe those to whom the notice under Rule 52.08(c)(2) was directed, who have not requested exclusion, and whom the court finds to be class members.
(4) Particular Issues. When appropriate, an action may be brought or maintained as a class action with respect to particular issues.
(5) Subclasses. When appropriate, a class may be divided into subclasses that are each treated as a class under this Rule 52.08.
(d) Conducting the Action.
(1) In General. In conducting an action under this Rule 52.08, the court may issue orders that:
(A) determine the course of proceedings or prescribe measures to prevent undue repetition or complication in presenting evidence or argument;
(B) require, to protect class members and fairly conduct the action, giving appropriate notice to some or all class members of:
(i) any step in the action;
(ii) the proposed extent of the judgment; or
(iii) the members' opportunity to signify whether they consider the representation fair and adequate, to intervene and present claims or defenses, or to otherwise come into the action;
(C) impose conditions on the representative parties or on intervenors;
(D) require that the pleadings be amended to eliminate allegations about representation of absent persons and that the action proceed accordingly; or
(E) deal with similar procedural matters.
(2) Combining and Amending Orders. An order under Rule 52.08(d)(1) may be altered or amended from time to time and may be combined with an order under Rule 62.01.
(e) Settlement, Voluntary Dismissal, or Compromise. The claims, issues, or defenses of a certified class, or a class proposed to be certified for purposes of settlement, may be settled, voluntarily dismissed, or compromised only with the court's approval. The following procedures apply to a proposed settlement, voluntary dismissal, or compromise:
(1) Notice to the Class.
(A) Information That Parties Shall Provide to the Court. The parties shall provide the court with information sufficient to enable it to determine whether to give notice of the proposal to the class.
(B) Grounds for a Decision to Give Notice. The court shall direct notice in a reasonable manner to all class members who would be bound by the proposal if giving notice is justified by the parties' showing that the court will likely be able to:
(i) approve the proposal under Rule 52.08(e)(2); and
(ii) certify the class for purposes of judgment on the proposal.
(2) Approval of the Proposal. If the proposal would bind class members, the court may approve it only after a hearing and only on finding that it is fair, reasonable, and adequate after considering whether:
(A) the class representatives and class counsel have adequately represented the class;
(B) the proposal was negotiated at arm's length;
(C) the relief provided for the class is adequate, taking into account:
(i) the costs, risks, and delay of trial and appeal;
(ii) the effectiveness of any proposed method of distributing relief to the class, including the method of processing class member claims;
(iii) the terms of any proposed award of attorney fees, including timing of payment; and
(iv) any agreement required to be identified under Rule 52.08(e)(3); and
(D) the proposal treats class members equitably relative to each other.
(3) Identifying Agreements. The parties seeking approval shall file a statement identifying any agreement made in connection with the proposal.
(4) New Opportunity to Be Excluded. If the class action was previously certified under Rule 52.08(b)(3), the court may refuse to approve a settlement unless it affords a new opportunity to request exclusion to individual class members who had an earlier opportunity to request exclusion but did not do so.
(5) Class-Member Objections.
(A) In General. Any class member may object to the proposal if it requires court approval under this Rule 52.08(e). The objection shall state whether it applies only to the objector, to a specific subset of the class, or to the entire class, and also state with specificity the grounds for the objection.
(B) Court Approval Required for Payment in Connection with an Objection. Unless approved by the court after a hearing, no payment or other consideration may be provided in connection with:
(i) forgoing or withdrawing an objection; or
(ii) forgoing, dismissing, or abandoning an appeal from a judgment approving the proposal.
(f) Appeals. A court of appeals may permit an appeal from an order granting or denying class-action certification under this Rule 52.08, but not from an order under Rule 52.08(e)(1). An appeal does not stay the proceedings in the trial court unless the trial judge or the court of appeals so orders.
(1) Appointing Class Counsel. Unless a statute provides otherwise, a court that certifies a class shall appoint class counsel. In appointing class counsel, the court:
(A) shall consider:
(i) the work counsel has done in identifying or investigating potential claims in the action;
(ii) counsel's experience in handling class actions, other complex litigation, and the types of claims asserted in the action;
(iii) counsel's knowledge of the applicable law; and
(iv) the resources that counsel will commit to representing the class;
(B) may consider any other matter pertinent to counsel's ability to fairly and adequately represent the interests of the class;
(C) may order potential class counsel to provide information on any subject pertinent to the appointment and to propose terms for attorney fees and nontaxable costs;
(D) may include in the appointing order provisions about the award of attorney fees or nontaxable costs under Rule 52.08(h); and
(E) may make further orders in connection with the appointment.
(2) Standard for Appointing Class Counsel. When one applicant seeks appointment as class counsel, the court may appoint that applicant only if the applicant is adequate under Rules 52.08(g)(1) and 52.08(g)(4). If more than one adequate applicant seeks appointment, the court shall appoint the applicant best able to represent the interests of the class.
(3) Interim Counsel. The court may designate interim counsel to act on behalf of a putative class before determining whether to certify the action as a class action.
(4) Duty of Class Counsel. Class counsel shall fairly and adequately represent the interests of the class.
(h) Attorney Fees and Nontaxable Costs. In a certified class action, the court may award reasonable attorney fees and nontaxable costs that are authorized by law or by the parties' agreement. The following procedures apply:
(1) A claim for an award shall be made by motion under Rule 74.16, subject to the provisions of this Rule 52.08(h), at a time the court sets. Notice of the motion shall be served on all parties and, for motions by class counsel, directed to class members in a reasonable manner.
(2) A class member, or a party from whom payment is sought, may object to the motion.
(3) The court may hold a hearing and shall find the facts and state its legal conclusions.
(4) The court may refer issues related to the amount of the award to a special master.
Adopted April 21, 1972, eff. Dec. 1, 1972. Amended Sept. 28, 1993, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; amended June 21, 2005, eff. January 1, 2006; amended April 24, 2025, eff. August 28, 2025; amended June 30, 2025, eff. January 1, 2026.
Before any class action can go forward under Rule 52.08(a), four things must be true: the class must be so numerous that joining everyone individually is impracticable; there must be questions of law or fact common to the class; the claims or defenses of the representative parties must be typical of the class's; and the representative parties must adequately protect the interests of the class. All four are prerequisites — none is optional.
Beyond those four, the case must fit one of three categories under Rule 52.08(b). The first covers situations where separate individual lawsuits would risk inconsistent standards of conduct for the opposing party, or would as a practical matter be dispositive of other members' interests even though they were not parties. The second covers cases where the opposing party has acted or refused to act on grounds that apply to the class as a whole, making class-wide injunctive or declaratory relief appropriate. The third — the most commonly litigated category — requires that common questions predominate over individual ones and that a class action be the superior method for resolving the controversy, weighing factors such as individual members' interest in controlling their own suits, existing related litigation, the desirability of the chosen forum, and the practical difficulties of managing the class.
Once a class is certified, Rule 52.08(c) and (d) require the court to define the class and its claims early, appoint class counsel, and it may later alter that order before final judgment. Notice obligations differ by category: courts have discretion over notice for the first two categories, but for the predominance-and-superiority category the court must direct the best practicable notice, including individual notice to identifiable members, explaining the case, the class definition, the right to appear through counsel, the right to request exclusion, and the binding effect of the eventual judgment. The court can also issue case-management orders addressing evidence, notice to members about their options, conditions on representatives, or amending pleadings to strip out claims about absent members.
A certified class's claims can be settled, dismissed, or compromised only with court approval, following a structured process: the parties supply information so the court can decide whether to direct notice of the proposal, and if the proposal would bind the class, the court may approve it only after a hearing and only on finding it fair, reasonable, and adequate, considering the adequacy of representation, arm's-length negotiation, the relief provided, and equitable treatment among class members. Objections from class members are permitted, and any payment tied to withdrawing an objection or an appeal needs its own court approval. Certification orders — but not orders under the settlement-notice provision — may be appealed with permission, though an appeal does not automatically stay the trial court proceedings. Finally, the court appoints class counsel based on the work already done investigating the case, counsel's experience and legal knowledge, and the resources counsel will commit, and attorney fees and nontaxable costs are awarded by motion under Rule 74.16, subject to notice, objection, and, if needed, a hearing or referral to a special master.