On December 6, 2004, the Texas Supreme Court issued a decision that clamps down on the excessive number of class action lawsuits being certified by state trial courts. The decision was a victory for WLF, which filed a brief urging the court to overturn an unwarranted class certification. WLF argued that many defendants are being forced by such certifications to pay large settlements, even though in many instances the suits are nonmeritorious and the cases are wholly inappropriate for class action status. In reversing the certification order, the court agreed with WLF that trial courts should not be permitted to certify a plaintiff class without simultaneously issuing a “trial plan” that explains how they intend the trial to proceed. The court said that the certification order, involving tens of thousands of insurance policy holders with conflicting interests, reflected a “certify now and worry later” approach that it deemed unacceptable.