Have you received a notice in the mail that you’re eligible to join a class-action lawsuit? Or, maybe you recently suffered harm from a dangerous drug or your personal information was compromised in a data breach. You talked to a data breach lawyer, who informed you that you might be eligible to join a class action lawsuit for compensation.
Class action lawsuits offer many benefits for the participating plaintiffs, including a better chance of winning a civil suit against a powerful, wealthy defendant. There are a few drawbacks, too, but ultimately the choice to participate in a class is yours. Understanding the advantages of joining these lawsuits can help you make an informed choice for your case.
What is a class action lawsuit?
A class action lawsuit is filed against a single defendant on behalf of many plaintiffs. Usually, these cases involve injuries sustained from defective products or harmful practices of a large company, such as recent cases involving Kia and Hyundai regarding the safety of their vehicles, or negligent security practices that led to data breaches, including a recent case involving Rheumatology Associates of Baltimore that affected hundreds of patients.
In class action cases, people similarly harmed by the same defendant combine their individual lawsuits into one, seeking a large class action settlement to be divided among all participants. The attorneys representing the individual class members combine their resources, information, and experience, strengthening the plaintiffs’ overall position.
Giant national corporations and government entities have deep pockets and entire legal teams dedicated to making sure that lawsuits against them don’t succeed. A class action, sometimes involving a million people, levels the playing field.
Class actions are represented by a class representative acting on the entire class’s behalf. Lead plaintiffs have a weighty responsibility, as it’s their decision to settle the case on behalf of everyone else or pursue litigation and take the claim to trial. In many cases, plaintiffs stand a better chance of securing compensation in a class action than they would filing a suit on their own.
Should I join a class action lawsuit or opt out of an offer?
Monetarily speaking, you have nothing to lose by joining a class action lawsuit. Class members share legal costs, and these cases are virtually always handled on a contingency basis, which means that the lawyers are paid out of any settlement recovered. So, you wouldn’t have to pay any up-front costs to join.
You usually stand a better chance of recovering compensation by participating in a class action suit than you would if you were to file an individual lawsuit. Large corporations have millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours to spend protecting the company from paying victims like you. Few law firms have similar resources to win a long war of legal attrition.
Drawbacks of joining a class action
The biggest drawback of joining a class action is that you may only receive a small amount of money. If you suffer irreversible health problems, like damage to your heart from taking a dangerous drug, a few thousand dollars, or even $10,000, may not go very far towards paying for your medical costs. However, that small amount may be more than you would have received on your own; there’s a good chance that you may have lost an individual lawsuit or have been unable to find an attorney with the resources to take your case.
Interested in joining a class action lawsuit? We can help
Do you need more information about joining a potential class action lawsuit? Whether you’ve been affected by faulty products, unfair practices, or other widespread issues, you don’t have to face it alone.
The experienced attorneys at Mason LLP represent plaintiffs nationwide in major civil actions. Call us today at (202) 429-2290 for a free consultation to learn your rights and how you can participate.