SB 1144 Summary

• Authorizes the Arizona Attorney General to protect state residents from consumer class action settlement abuse and intervene in class action proceedings to represent the state's and class members' interests.

• Allows the Attorney General to file a motion to intervene in any consumer class action settlement that the Attorney General believes does not provide fair, reasonable, and adequate relief to class members or improperly compensates class counsel or named class members over unnamed class members.

• Permits the Attorney General to intervene regardless of whether any class member in Arizona has filed an objection to the settlement.

• Defines "class action" to include civil actions filed in Arizona superior courts or federal district courts, regardless of the type of recovery alleged, and defines related terms including "class action settlement" and "class members."

• Clarifies that the Attorney General's inaction on a particular settlement does not limit the state's rights or the Attorney General's ability to bring separate enforcement actions under consumer protection laws.