Understanding Class Action Lawsuits
Class action lawsuits are frequently in the news, but few people believe that they will ever be a part of one. However, for thousands of people in the United States who suffer harm due to another party’s negligence, filing a class action suit is the best option for recovering compensation for their damages and holding the perpetrator accountable.
If you have experienced an injury or another form of harm and you are considering a class action lawsuit, the attorneys at Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, can assist you. Our firm focuses on class action lawsuits of several varieties, from personal injury to products liability. To help you understand more about these complex cases, we have devoted this page to some crucial information about class action lawsuits.
How Do Class Action Lawsuits Work?
When one person suffers an injury or another form of harm, he or she has the right to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator. When multiple people experience a similar injury or another form of harm from the same perpetrator, they have the right to band together and file one collective lawsuit called a class action.
Class action lawsuits are particularly useful for taking on powerful entities such as corporations. Generally, a few plaintiffs act as representatives by filing the suit; sometimes, courts use aggregation to resolve mass torts. Then, the other plaintiffs will receive notifications about the case from their own attorneys. If the lawsuit results in a settlement or verdict, it will be divided among the plaintiffs.
Another crucial thing to know: The right lawyers are crucial to the success of a class action lawsuit. At Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, our attorneys have decades of successful results under their belts, including multiple multimillion-dollar recoveries.
Frequently Asked Questions About Class-Action Lawsuits
Below are answers to common questions our clients ask about class-action lawsuits and how they differ from individual legal claims.
How does a class-action lawsuit differ from an individual lawsuit?
A class-action lawsuit allows multiple people who suffered similar harm from the same defendant to combine their claims into one collective legal action, rather than filing separate individual lawsuits. In individual lawsuits, one plaintiff pursues compensation for their specific damages against the defendant. Class actions are particularly effective when many people suffered relatively smaller individual damages that might not justify the cost of separate litigation. The case is filed by representative plaintiffs on behalf of the entire class, and any settlement or verdict is divided among all class members according to the court-approved distribution plan.
How many clients do you need for a class-action lawsuit?
There is no specific minimum number of plaintiffs required to file a class-action lawsuit under federal or state rules. However, courts must certify that the class is sufficiently numerous that individual lawsuits would be impractical. This typically means dozens or hundreds of potential class members, though smaller classes have been certified in certain circumstances. The key factors courts consider include whether the class is so numerous that joining all members would be impractical, whether common legal or factual questions exist among class members, and whether the representative plaintiffs’ claims are typical of the class.
What are the risks of joining a class-action lawsuit?
Joining a class-action lawsuit involves several potential risks that participants should understand before proceeding. Class members typically receive smaller individual payouts compared to what they might recover in successful individual lawsuits, since settlements are divided among all participants. You also give up control over litigation strategy and settlement decisions to the class representatives and their attorneys.
Is it worth filing a class-action lawsuit?
Whether filing a class-action lawsuit is worthwhile depends on several factors, including the strength of your claims, the extent of your damages and the resources of the defendant. Class actions are often the most practical option when individual damages are too small to justify separate lawsuits, but the collective harm is substantial. They also provide access to experienced attorneys and resources that individual plaintiffs might not afford. However, class actions typically take longer to resolve than individual cases and result in smaller individual recoveries.
Ask A Lawyer More About Class Actions
When you work with Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC, we can help you use a class action lawsuit to recover compensation for your damages and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. Schedule a free case evaluation with our Cincinnati firm today. Call us toll-free at 855-843-5442 or send an email to reach us online.