When a large number of people have suffered an injury, had their rights violated, or experienced other damages as a result of the actions of an individual, corporation, or government entity, it is often more advantageous to file one lawsuit for all the victims rather than numerous individual lawsuits.
These cases, called class action lawsuits, join a group of plaintiffs with common interests in order to consolidate the litigation against the party that is responsible for the damages to the group.
Class action lawsuits provide important benefits to the class of plaintiffs. By combining their claims under one lawsuit, the class of plaintiffs are often able to recover compensation when the value of damages to each plaintiff would not justify the filing of multiple individual lawsuits.
Types of Class Action Cases
Class action lawsuits can be filed to address damages caused by a wide range of situations, including:
- Defective products
- Pharmaceutical injuries
- Unfair business practices
- Discrimination
- Employment benefits
- Shareholder actions
Depending on the circumstances of the case, class action lawsuits can either be filed in state or federal court.
Criteria for Receiving Class Action Status
In order for a lawsuit to be granted class action status enabling multiple plaintiffs to join, the claim must be certified by a court with proper jurisdiction. There are four requirements which must be met in order to obtain this certification:
- The potential class of plaintiffs is large enough to make processing individual claims for each class member unworkable
- Questions of law or fact must exist that are common to all class members
- The claims or defenses put forth by the representatives of the class must reflect the claims or defenses of the majority of class members being represented
- The representative filing the lawsuit must fairly and adequately represent the interests of the entire class
Fighting for You
The attorneys at Harvey L. Walner & Associates have more than 35 years of experience handling a wide range of class action cases in state and federal courts across the country. Our firm’s size, background, and vast resources provide us with the necessary tools to pursue class action lawsuits to completion.
These cases are enormous undertakings which require the ability to organize attorneys, support staff, and experts to achieve a successful outcome. Our Chicago class action lawyers are highly qualified to take on these complex cases, and we have developed a strong track record of success including nearly $2 billion recovered on behalf of our class action clients.
Please contact Harvey L. Walner & Associates today to schedule your free class action consultation. We serve class action clients nationwide from our offices in Chicago, Illinois.