US Supreme Court weighs limits on class-action tactics

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday weighed whether to impose new limits on class-action lawsuits, as it reviewed whether a homeowner’s lawsuit against his insurer belonged in a state court considered friendly to plaintiffs. During oral argument, several justices suggested that they saw problems in the plaintiff’s effort to keep his case in a Miller County, Arkansas, state court known among some insurers as something of a "magnet" for class-action cases. Greg Knowles, whose house had sustained hail damage, in his lawsuit accused Travelers Cos’ Standard Fire Insurance Co unit of refusing to pay for the cost of hiring general contractors.