Becoming part of a class action lawsuit could happen to you in your lifetime. These unique lawsuits are brought forth by a group of individuals to represent the legal rights of people who may have all been harmed, misled, or defrauded by a company, group, or institution.
The type of scenario commonly seen in class action lawsuits is similar to this. Perhaps you used a product in recent years, for instance, that a federal agency now finds leaves behind traces of unwanted chemicals in your home. Maybe you or a family member were harmed in using this product, and you want to sue the product manufacturer to recover damages. To do that on your own would be a costly initiative to undertake without a guarantee of a financial settlement.
But suppose a large group of people who suffered a similar fate as yours banded together in one large lawsuit against the manufacturer. In that case, the group could have greater clout against the manufacturer when trying to recover financial damages due to the product being harmful.
In a nutshell, that’s what a class action lawsuit represents. It is a lawsuit filed by a few main representatives (the lead plaintiffs) that seek to represent the legal interests of the people who have been impacted by the misdeed.
If you have found yourself participating in the makings of a class action lawsuit and would like further guidance, you can contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC, to learn how an Akron class action lawsuits lawyer could help. A team member can also help you understand your legal options as it relates to your involvement in a class action lawsuit. Call our team today at (800) 709-1441 to schedule a free case evaluation.
Benefits of Class Action Lawsuits
Among the advantages of filing a class action lawsuit is that class actions give a large group of injured persons a collective voice to assert their legal rights.
When combined with other people who have been impacted by similar wrongdoing, the opportunities in class action lawsuits can allow for small claims to be heard. This gives people a legal voice when combating large corporations around lawsuits involving:
- Manufacturer or product defects
- Illegal business processes
- False claims in marketing or advertising
- Contract breaches
- Willful disregard of the law
As a 2018 Congressional Research Service review notes, class actions offer the opportunity for this large group of harmed individuals to seek relief as a group, especially when any kind of individual lawsuit would be far too small to warrant its own separate suit.
Class actions give these people a chance to join and seek compensation from the party that caused the harm. In filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of many individuals, it spares people from filing individual lawsuits, which can become costly, time-consuming, and emotionally draining for the persons involved.
For a free legal consultation with a class action lawsuits lawyer serving Akron, call (800) 709-1441
Courtroom Efficiency
Besides this, class actions have other advantages. They help bring economy and efficiency to the legal process, both for the aggrieved individuals and the courts. Courts would not want to listen to hundreds of individual cases around the same issue. This would be unforeseen under most circumstances. At the same time, however, individuals can launch class actions for flimsy reasons, resulting in litigation that defendants view as abusive or aggressive.
Because individual lawsuits can be expensive, the key reason for going the distance in an individual lawsuit is to reap significant damages. But if the damages were only $100, $500, or $1,000, it is generally not worth it to pursue an individual lawsuit.
If you have been harmed in such a way that you know others may also have suffered harm, it might be the right move to seek legal advice for a possible class action lawsuit.
Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC, to learn more about how an Akron class action lawsuits lawyer might be able to help you. We will listen to your story and help you to evaluate your legal options as it relates to a possible class action lawsuit.
Akron Class Action Lawsuits Lawyer Near Me (800) 709-1441
Key Factors in a Class Action Lawsuit
In a typical class action lawsuit, the court will assess evidence based on several factors, including:
- The number of individual claims that make up the full class action suit. The court will try to decide on the best way to proceed.
- The commonality of the claims to ensure they are similar in the extent of harm and wrongdoing caused
- The level of typicality, or in other words, how typical the class member claims are to the lead member claims; and
- The level of adequacy, which determines if the lead class representatives are competent enough to represent the full class fairly and effectively
Moving through these factors helps a court achieve efficiency in its work and helps to optimize the time and energy spent on the lawsuit.
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Filing a Class Action Lawsuit
Some exceptionally large class action cases, when hundreds or thousands of people have been affected by the same problem or issue, have begun because of one person’s insight that something was wrong.
It may have been that the person started seeing the harmful side effects of a certain medication and sought advice about it. A class action lawsuit may have started because of a presumed illegality by a financial institution charging its customers unnecessary fees and one person fighting back against that.
If you have found yourself in an uneasy predicament due to a change in something, and it has caused you sleepless nights, then there might be something behind it. We may be able to bring class action settlements more clearly into focus for you.
If you want to discuss a recent situation with us and are interested in learning more about how an Akron class action lawsuits lawyer could work on your behalf, call Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today at (800) 709-1441 to schedule a free consultation.
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