Sias v. Edge Communications, Inc.

Michael Sias (plaintiff) sought to certify a nationwide class of all U.S. purchasers of Edge Communications' (defendant) disposable long-distance phone cards, alleging Edge misrepresented per-minute rates by rounding up minutes and adding undisclosed fees; Edge opposed certification, arguing the over four million cards sold varied in design, denomination, and advertising, that managing such a massive class would be prohibitively expensive, and that applying Oklahoma law nationwide would raise due process problems given the need to apply up to 50 different states' laws. The trial court denied certification based on cost, administrative burden, and due-process concerns, without reaching commonality, typicality, or adequacy issues, and Sias appealed.