If you ever stay up late at night watching television, you have probably seen a couple of infomercials made by law firms asking if you have been affected by a certain party or product. Those type of infomercials target specific individuals with the intent of encouraging them to file a lawsuit against the party that harmed them.
These types of lawsuits are known as Class Action Lawsuits and can provide several benefits to individuals looking to file a claim.
Your team here at Hotze Runkle PLLC has been following the 3M defective earplugs situation and it appears that the growth of the number of cases may turn into a class action lawsuit. Please consider the following information.
About Class Action Lawsuits
In a class action lawsuit, a large number of people from all over the nation are seeking recovery from a product, company, or entity that has caused them damages. This is referred to as commonality.
While the claims do need to be similar, they do not necessarily need to be identical. The similarity in facts allows for the litigation process to work more efficiently versus each case being handled individually.
For a plaintiff, it can be a lot more cost effective and also provide them the necessary means to seek our compensation. Otherwise, it might be too challenging for the individual to take the defendant to court and secure compensation on their own.
In a class action lawsuit, resources are consolidated, allowing for attorneys, evidence, witnesses, and other aspects of litigation to be used by those participating in the claim. When a class action lawsuit is permitted by a court, a representative plaintiff leads the process. These individuals are intended to adequately represent the claims and circumstances of the entire class without being able to take advantage of their position.
As of the present time, the 3M defective earplugs case appears to be turning into a class action lawsuit or mass tort. Individuals interested in participating in the class action lawsuit may have to “opt-in.”
The Benefits of Class Action Lawsuits
So now that you are more aware of how a class action lawsuit works, you might be wondering how you might benefit.
Several of the advantages of a class action lawsuit include:
- It is financially more feasible for a plaintiff to participate in a class action lawsuit versus filing a claim on their own. Cost of litigation can be incredibly high for single individuals but combining all these claims makes it much more reasonably affordable for those who have suffered damages.
- There is a greater level of uniformity which allow the claims to be resolved in a much more efficient manner. Rather than hundreds (or even thousands) of cases clogging up the courts, a class action lawsuit provides all these individuals with a voice in court within a reasonable amount of time.
- Because plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit are able to pull resources, there is a greater likelihood of securing financial recovery. Additionally, class actions lawsuits help to spread the compensation recovered across a greater number of plaintiffs versus a single individual obtaining the vast majority.