Class Action Litigation

What Is Class Action Litigation?

Class action lawsuits are lawsuits brought by one individual or a small group of individuals on behalf of a larger group who have all suffered similar or the same harm from one or several defendants. That is, a class action lawsuit is brought by one or more “class representatives” who represent the interests of dozens, hundreds, and even possibly thousands of individuals (the “class”).

If the lawsuit concludes with a favorable verdict, a judge will approve the amount of the settlement. Individual class members will be given the opportunity to accept the benefits of the settlement or to opt out. Generally, the class members will divide the damages awarded between themselves, typically based on a contrived formula depending on how many members make up the class.

Class action litigation is one of the most effective legal tools to compensate Americans for corporate wrongdoing. Corporations and special interest groups have spent millions to convince the public and lawmakers that class actions are bad for business, but class action litigation is essential to our nation's economy. Without it, businesses could sell dangerous products or implement pricing strategies and corporate policies that injure Americans every day and leave them little recourse to reform bad business practices.

There are many types of harmful conduct that might lead to class action litigation, such as:

• Defective product parts
• Environmental regulation violations
• Employee/independent contractor disputes
• Unfair business practices
• Unlawful employment practices

Advantages of Class Action Lawsuits

Some reasons people opt out of class action lawsuits is out of a hope for pursuing their own lawsuit. After all, splitting the compensation from a class action lawsuit could result in relatively minor amounts for the individual instead of larger amounts if the lawsuit involves only the individual themselves.

However, high-value injury cases could cost an exorbitant amount of time and money, and if the incident involves other people similarly injured, it might prove more powerful to join together and bring forward a class action lawsuit due to the widespread harm. For instance, if you and hundreds of consumers across the country experienced some kind of harm due to a defective product, the settlement might add up to millions of dollars. As a result, legal action as a group could both result in a stronger case for compensation and inspire a change to the company’s unethical business practices.

Another advantage of filing a class action lawsuit instead of an individual lawsuit is its efficiency. The class as a group merely needs to prove harm done to the class as a whole (rather than each individual if they were to take on their own case). This also aids the court system, so they do not have to hear the same course multiple times.

You may naturally be feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of a class action lawsuit, as these are big lawsuits often against a powerful and resource-stacked corporation. However, you have every right to take legal action on behalf of yourself and your fellow consumers who have experienced unfair injury due to the corporation. Omar Ochoa Law Firm is committed to representing both individual consumers and wronged businesses against a daunting legal trial, and you can trust that we know how to confidently approach your class action lawsuit and fight aggressively for a favorable settlement.