A class-action lawsuit is a civil lawsuit brought by at least one person to represent hundreds or thousands of other plaintiffs. They will all have a similar case against a common defendant. Class action lawsuits could be brought against the manufacturer of a defective product. An employer exploits their workers. Or factory owners who pollute large swaths of land or rivers. Keep reading to learn more about the most common types of class action lawsuits and the legal process.
Class-Action Lawsuits: What You Need to Know
Filing a class action suit and many other plaintiffs can strengthen your case. And it may lead to real change on the defendant's part. Filing a civil lawsuit as an individual will likely lead to a quiet settlement out of court. But a class action lawsuit may attract more attention to the issue and force the defending institution to make changes on the systemic level.- Environmental lawsuits can take many forms. One example is when a group of properties or homeowners files a class action suit against a business whose production pollutes their land and damages their property’s value.
- Employment lawsuits usually relate to unfair wages, such as when an employee is denied time and a half for overtime work, workplace discrimination, and sexual harassment.
- Defective drugs and products likely harmed more people than just you or your family. You could bring a class action suit against a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturing company. These cases are usually handled as “mass torts” since each individual’s injuries vary.
- Civil rights class action lawsuits are especially useful in taking down big corporations. They can force change on a larger scale. According to the Center for Justice and Democracy, companies such as Kodak, Walgreens, Coca-Cola, Marriott, and Home Depot have all paid settlements to workers who filed class action lawsuits against them and won.