What is a "Class Action"?
Sometimes, an illegal activity by some company effects large groups of people, monetarily or otherwise. When a large group of consumers or other class of people is effected by the same problem (for instance, a bank charging thousands of people illegal fees), a class action lawsuit is usually the only solution. A “class action” is a representative action whereby a class of people bring a claim to court. The representative is called the “lead plaintiff” in the action, and represents the interests of the others.
A class action can be brought in federal or state court, depending on the laws that the plaintiff (person suing) is exercising. In either case, however, class actions are huge cases that sometimes take years to resolve. This is simply due to the nature of these types of cases. The sheer volume of evidence, records, discovery proceedings and investigation takes years, in addition to the various motions that are typically brought in class actions in the pre-trial stage. They do however, tend to end in settlements often times, simply because both sides desire to mitigate the costs associated with litigating.
How is my Case Handled?
Regardless of the direction a given class action ends up taking, Mr. Mehrban’s firm is prepared to fully litigate the case. If settlement is a possibility, we make sure your interests are not compromised, and you receive the outcome you probably would have had we taken the case to trial.
At our firm, class actions, in addition to most other types of lawsuits, are FREE for the plaintiff. This is because if we believe in your case enough to sue, we will take the case on a contingency basis. This means, we take a percentage to cover our attorney fees at the end of the lawsuit. This percentage doesn’t interfere with your recovery as a plaintiff, and is something extra paid by the defendant.
Will I have to Go to Court?
Although the plaintiff going to court is always a possibility in lawsuits, it is unlikely. In fact, in cases that settle, it is extremely rare that the plaintiff would have to go to court more than once. As your lawyers, we will go to court for your on many occasions. But the judge rarely orders any parties to be present.
A class action may be warranted in various legal situations. Our firm is experienced in handling class actions in the following areas:
- Products liability;
- Consumer fraud;
- False advertising; and
- ADA compliance.