Also known as: aggregate · aggregates · aggregated · aggregating · aggregate claims
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
3 senses
A procedural mechanism permitting a single plaintiff to combine multiple claims against one defendant to satisfy the amount-in-controversy requirement for diversity jurisdiction. The claims need not share a common nucleus of fact. This aggregation applies only when the plaintiff proceeds against a solitary opposing party.
A procedural mechanism permitting a single plaintiff to combine multiple claims against one defendant to satisfy the amount-in-controversy requirement for diversity jurisdiction. The claims need not share a common nucleus of fact. This aggregation applies only when the plaintiff proceeds against a solitary opposing party.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
A doctrinal technique allowing courts to consider the cumulative economic impact of many similar intrastate activities when determining whether Congress may regulate the class under the Commerce Clause. Aggregation applies only to economic or commercial conduct and is unavailable for non-economic activity.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
A settlement or plea arrangement that resolves the claims or charges of two or more clients represented by the same lawyer. Such an arrangement requires each client's informed written consent after disclosure of all claims or pleas and each participant's role.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
A doctrinal technique allowing courts to consider the cumulative economic impact of many similar intrastate activities when determining whether Congress may regulate the class under the Commerce Clause. Aggregation applies only to economic or commercial conduct and is unavailable for non-economic activity.
A settlement or plea arrangement that resolves the claims or charges of two or more clients represented by the same lawyer. Such an arrangement requires each client's informed written consent after disclosure of all claims or pleas and each participant's role.
Each sense below has its own examples, sources, and questions.
Aisha Ahmed read a defamatory article about her in one edition of a national newspaper. She sued the publisher for libel. The court treated the entire edition as one publication, limiting her to a single cause of action even though thousands of copies reached readers.
A plaintiff may add all claims against a single defendant to meet the jurisdictional amount regardless of whether the claims are related. Separate defendants' claims cannot be aggregated.
Supporting sources
Andrew Avery grew marijuana plants in his backyard for personal medical use under state law. Federal agents charged him under a nationwide drug-control statute. The court aggregated the effects of similar home cultivation across the country and found a substantial impact on the interstate marijuana market, upholding the federal prohibition.
Anika Anand carried a handgun into a local high-school auditorium for a community event. Prosecutors charged her under a federal statute banning firearms in school zones. The court refused to aggregate the effects of such local, non-economic possession and dismissed the federal count.
Amelia Amari grew wheat on her small farm solely to feed her livestock. A federal quota statute fined her for exceeding the allotment. The court aggregated the effects of similar on-farm production nationwide and upheld the regulation because the cumulative activity affected national grain markets.
Azure Solutions faced criminal charges carrying enhanced penalties based on facts found by a judge rather than a jury. The court held that any fact increasing the statutory maximum must be submitted to the jury, preventing judicial aggregation of sentencing factors.
Only economic or commercial intrastate activity may be aggregated. Non-economic conduct, such as simple gun possession, cannot be aggregated to create a substantial effect on interstate commerce.
Supporting sources
Anita Ali and Abigail Alvarez retained the same lawyer to pursue separate employment claims against Alliance Holdings. The lawyer negotiated a single payment that resolved both suits. Before finalizing the deal, the lawyer sent each client a signed letter detailing the total amount, the division between them, and the lawyer's fee. Both clients returned signed consents.
The lawyer must disclose the existence and nature of all claims, the total settlement amount, each client's share, and the lawyer's fee, then obtain each client's informed written consent.
Supporting sources
…regulated under the guise of the Commerce Clause. The substantial effects test suffers from this flaw, in part, because of its "aggregation principle." Under so-called "class of activities" statutes, Congress can regulate whole categories of activities that are not themselves either "interstate" or "commerce." In applying the…