Baker, J.
In this case of first impression, we are confronted with the issue on interlocutory appeal as to whether the trial court abused its discretion in ordering the temporary decertification of a class, in an action brought by appellant-plaintiff Tequita Ramsey against the appellee-defendant Lightning Corporation, d/b/a First Class Car Company (Lightning). Ramsey claimed that she had the right to maintain a class action suit to recover vehicle document preparation fees that Lightning charged. Ramsey asserts that the trial court erred in determining that she lacked standing to bring her lawsuit as a class action, that the class was improperly decertified, and that she could not be a representative of the class.
Notwithstanding these contentions, Indiana Trial Rule 23 contemplates that a class action certification is subject to change before a decision is made on the merits. And there is nothing in the rule altering this standard when the trial court conditionally certifies a class action. Here, the evidence established, among other things, that Ramsey is not a member of the defined class, and therefore may not serve as a class representative. Thus, we cannot say that the trial court erred in decertifying the class. As a result, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.
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Although we have not found a case directly on point in support of Lightning’s argument, Trial Rule 23 supports the conclusion that the trial court may amend, alter, modify and even revoke or rescind a previous order certifying a class. In our view, there is no logical reason to hold that the trial court may never revoke or rescind such an order. To hold otherwise would mean that once a class action is certified, the class cannot be later decertified, even if subsequently discovered facts and evidence suggest the class should not have been certified in the first instance.
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MAY, J., and MATHIAS, J., concur.