Diamond

This is an action brought by plaintiff “on behalf of himself and all other possessors of real property in, and residents of, the County of Los Angeles,” as a class numbering 7,119,184 persons. The named defendants are 293 industrial corporations and municipalities who are alleged to have polluted the atmosphere of the county. Additional defendants, whose names are unknown to plaintiff, are also sued under the fictitious name of “Doe 1 through Doe 1,000.” The complaint seeks billions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages, and “an injunction permanently restraining defendants from emitting and discharging pollutants into the atmosphere of the County of Los Angeles.” As against those defendants which are engaged in the manufacture and distribution of automobiles, the complaint also seeks “an injunction restraining the sale and registration in the County of Los Angeles of motor vehicles manufactured and produced by defendants which pollute the atmosphere” and “the appointment of a special administrator to administer the retrofitting of each motor vehicle registered in the County of Los Angeles and produced and manufactured by the defendants,” the cost of such…