Class Actions

What is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A class action lawsuit is a type of lawsuit where one or few persons (called plaintiffs or class representatives) sue on behalf of a larger group of persons (called “the class” or “class members”).

The class representatives must look out for the best interest of the class, and work with their attorneys (called “class counsel”) to obtain the best relief for the class.

If you have been harmed by a scam, defective product, illegal conduct, overcharge, or a misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent practice, you are not alone. Please feel free to contact us.

Examples of Class Action Lawsuits We Handle:

Abusive Telemarketing/Robocalls – Consumers who have received abusive telemarketing phone calls, text messages, and unwanted robocalls;
Auto Fraud – Consumers who were sold vehicles at a price much higher than the advertised price and/or who were overcharged on bogus fees;
Credit Reporting Errors – Consumers who have inaccurate information on their credit reports;
Debt Collection Abuse – Consumers facing or have faced unfair, abusive and illegal debt collection practices;
Illegal Consumer Contracts – Consumers whose contracts contained illegal terms;
Illegal High Interest Loans – Consumers who were charged illegally high interest loans; and

How do Class Action Lawsuits work?

Class action lawsuits begin just like most other lawsuits: The plaintiff (who eventually becomes the class representative) hires an attorney, and they first file a claim with the Court.

After obtaining discovery (exchange of information) in the case, the court decides if the case proceeds as a class action. If there is a class settlement or verdict, the class representative and class members receive their parts of the settlement or verdict.

What are the public policy reasons supporting class action suits?

Class action lawsuits are very important to this society. It is a way for regular people to seek justice against the harms committed by the rich and powerful, multi-billion dollar corporations. Without banding together, it is often difficult to obtain justice.

Class action lawsuits also act as a way to keep wrongdoers in check. In some situations, there may be thousands of consumers who have suffered small damages, and the costs of litigating individual lawsuits would be far greater than the value of each individual’s claim. However, the total damages and value of litigating a class action is quite large, and thus class actions work as a way to keep the wrongdoers from perpetuating their wrongdoing.

Finally, where the defendant has engaged in a pattern of wrongdoing, a class action can provide an effective remedy for the group without incurring the costs of thousands of separate lawsuits and risking inconsistent decisions by the courts. Instead of having courts decide thousands of separate lawsuits, a single class action can resolve everyone’s claims.

This is a basic overview of class actions. It is for informational purposes only. This does not constitute specific legal advice, and this summary is not intended to create, and receipt does not create, an attorney-client relationship.