Article 9. Class Actions · Last amended 1975 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 907 gives the court broad case-management authority over class actions, controlling procedure, ordering additional notice, imposing conditions on representatives, amending pleadings, and directing how a favorable money judgment gets paid.
Full Text of CPLR 907
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In the conduct of class actions the court may make appropriate orders: 1. determining the course of proceedings or prescribing measures to prevent undue repetition or complication in the presentation of evidence or argument; 2. requiring, for the protection of the members of the class, or otherwise for the fair conduct of the action, that notice be given in such manner as the court may direct to some or all of the members of any step in the action, or of the proposed extent of the judgment, or of the opportunity of members to signify whether they consider the representation fair and adequate, or to appear and present claims or defenses, or otherwise to come into the action; 3. imposing conditions on the representative parties or on intervenors; 4. requiring that the pleadings be amended to eliminate therefrom allegations as to representation of absent persons, and that the action proceed accordingly; 5. directing that a money judgment favorable to the class be paid either in one sum, whether forthwith or within such period as the court may fix, or in such installments as the court may specify; 6. dealing with similar procedural matters.
The orders may be altered or amended as may be desirable from time to time.
Plain-English Summary
Certifying a class is the beginning of a case's life as a class action, not the end of the court's involvement. CPLR 907 gives the court ongoing authority to issue whatever orders the conduct of the case requires, and the list of enumerated purposes is broad: controlling the order of proceedings and cutting down on repetitive or complicated evidence and argument; requiring notice at any step of the case, not just at the outset, to protect class members or to keep the action fair; imposing conditions on the representative parties or on anyone who intervenes; ordering that pleadings be amended to strip out allegations about representing absent class members if that representation is no longer appropriate; directing how a favorable money judgment gets paid, whether in one lump sum or in installments the court specifies; and handling similar procedural matters as they come up.
None of that authority is locked in once exercised. CPLR 907 lets the court alter or amend its orders as the case develops, which matters in litigation that can run for years and change shape as discovery clarifies the class and the claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of case-management orders can a New York court issue in a class action?
CPLR 907 lets the court control the course of proceedings, require additional notice, impose conditions on representatives or intervenors, order pleading amendments, and direct how a money judgment is paid, among other procedural matters.
Can a court require notice to the class at points beyond the initial certification notice?
Yes. CPLR 907 lets the court order notice at any step in the action, including notice of a proposed judgment or of members' opportunity to weigh in on the adequacy of representation.
Can a class-action judgment be paid in installments in New York?
Yes. CPLR 907 lets the court direct that a favorable money judgment be paid in one sum or in installments the court specifies.
What conditions can a court place on the class representative?
CPLR 907 allows the court to impose conditions on the representative parties or on intervenors as part of managing the class action.
Can these case-management orders change as the litigation goes on?
Yes. CPLR 907 explicitly allows the orders to be altered or amended from time to time as the case develops.
Can a court amend the pleadings in a class action on its own initiative?
Yes. CPLR 907 lets the court order that the pleadings be amended to remove allegations about representing absent class members when that representation is no longer part of the action.
Amendment History
Add, L 1975, ch 207, § 1, eff Sept 1, 1975.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:class action case management orders New Yorkcourt orders in class action NYclass action installment judgment paymentNew York class action procedural orders