Question 1

What is a class action?

Accepted Answer

A class action is a lawsuit where many people combine their similar complaints. This allows a single judge to hear all the concerns at the same time, and potentially resolve all the claims together. If the court agrees to treat the case a class action, all class members will share in any recovery.
 
In a class action, one person, called the “Lead Plaintiff,” “Named Plaintiff” or “Class Representative” represents a group of others who suffered similar harm. Class action lawsuits often are filed when it would be impractical or prohibitively expensive for each person who was harmed to file an individual lawsuit, and they enable small shareholders or consumers to seek recovery from large corporations possessing much greater legal and financial resources.
 
The typical class action takes at least 2-3 years to litigate, although the actual time it takes to resolve a case varies, depending on the complexity of the case, the issues involved and other factors.

Question 2

What Is a Contingency Fee?

Accepted Answer

A contingency fee is when a lawyer is paid only when a lawsuit is successful. If no money is awarded in the case, then the lawyer does not earn a fee. When a lawsuit is successful, either through settlement or verdict, the lawyer gets a percentage of the total recovery. There are no out-of-pocket expenses for the client because the lawyer advances all costs.

Question 3

How much time will this take?

Accepted Answer

Generally, about 8-15 hours over two years, most of the work is done by the lawyers. Every case is different, but in most cases serving as a class representative requires a one-to-two day time commitment. Some of that time will be spent answering emails or phone calls from your lawyer about your claims. Some of that time will be spent gathering your receipts, if you have any.  Some of the time will be spent approving court documents for filing.
A named plaintiff does not have to be particularly knowledgeable about the subject of the lawsuit. However, you should remain interested in the progress of the lawsuit and must make every effort to provide your lawyer with all relevant facts.
You may have to give a deposition – an interview with the defendant’s lawyer. If you do, you will spend several hours with your attorney preparing and several hours in the deposition itself. Often this is done by video conference.  Depositions of Named Plaintiffs usually last less than three hours.  By rule, depositions cannot last longer than seven hours.

Question 4

Why should I act now?

Accepted Answer

In most states, you must file a lawsuit within two years of the date that you “knew or should have known” that you suffered an injury related to the product.  If you do not file by then you may have lost your opportunity to recover. When you knew or should have known is not always clear, so it is important to consult with an attorney as soon as possible so you do not wait too long to file your claim.

Question 5

Why should I work with you?

Accepted Answer

Our attorneys have focused their practice on class action litigation for more 20 years, and have represented consumers, whistleblowers and businesses as plaintiffs in high-stakes litigation in all manner of class actions.

TOXIC BABY FOOD

Read Full Article

Contact Us

Explore Cases

Legal & Other