Boca Raton Class Action Lawsuit Lawyer

May 7, 2022 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman

A group of people who has suffered common injuries due to an individual's or business's negligence may file a class action lawsuit for damages. Typically, class actions are filed to pursue claims such as unlawful business practices, environmental disasters, employee discrimination, and defective products.

A Boca Raton class action lawsuit lawyer with Dolman Law Group could offer legal guidance, build an injury claim case, and represent you in court.

Types of Class Action Lawsuits

Class action lawsuits hold individuals, businesses, and corporations accountable for the harm they cause consumers. The following are some standard class action lawsuits: 

  • Employment lawsuits:An employer who has a history of violating labor codes, such as overtime pay, minimum wage, or failure to provide employees with breaks, can be liable for a class action lawsuit.
  • Product liability:This includes substandard medical devices, defective products, and unsafe prescription drugs.
  • Securities fraud: This happens when a company has engaged in improper behavior, such as concealing risks or lying about earnings, causing harm to the investors.
  • Consumer class actions:This happens when a company's illegal or systematic practices cause injuries to a group of consumers. These practices include unlawful interest rates, charges on bills, failure to observe protection laws, or late fee penalties.

If your class action lawsuit belongs to any of the mentioned groups, a Boca Raton class action lawsuit lawyer on our team can help ensure you're awarded the settlement you need.

Examples of Class Action Lawsuits

A class action lawsuit entails several parties taking legal action against the same company, organization, or individuals. The claimants must have been injured in a similar way to file one lawsuit against the defendant.

The Truvada lawsuit is one of the significant examples of a class action case. There are many other examples of class action suits, such as:

  • Patients who've been prescribed harmful drugs
  • Consumers who bought defective products and sustained injuries caused by the faulty products
  • Merchants who intentionally inflated their costs
  • Stockholders and investors who're victims of fraud
  • People who experienced age, racial, or gender discrimination from a single employer
  • Residents or homeowners  whose neighborhood is affected by toxic substances

Certification in a Class Action Lawsuit

Before a class action suit can occur, it must be certified. The class certification process involves a judge deciding if all the plaintiffs' grievances have enough similarities to be considered a single unit, rather than having separate cases for each plaintiff.

The judge makes a decision based on the following requirements:

  • The number of plaintiffs.For a class action suit to be certified by a judge, there must be enough plaintiffs so that it wouldn't be practical for the plaintiffs to file individual injury lawsuits. There's no limit to the largest number of plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit, but a thumb rule is that there must be at least 40 plaintiffs with similar complaints.
  • Similar grievances. The judge must apply their discretion in determining if the plaintiffs' injuries or grievances are identical enough to be considered in one lawsuit. If the judge determines the injuries are not similar enough, the plaintiffs will not qualify to be certified as a class, and the class action lawsuit cannot proceed.
  • Protection of interests of the whole class.The judge must ensure the named plaintiff reasonably and accurately represents each class member's interests. If some members' interests differ from the rest of the class, a subclass can be formed to protect and represent their interests fully.

Advantages of a Class Action Lawsuit

Class actions are an excellent opportunity for people with similar claims to join together to hold the liable party accountable. Joining a class action means you'll not worry about legal fees or participating in court proceedings.

Here are the other advantages of a class action lawsuit:

  • Increase the efficiency of the court system by consolidating several cases as one 
  • Provide a fair and consistent settlement for all members
  • Hold big companies answerable for transgressions that affect many people
  • Reduce the stress on participants

The Role of a Lead Plaintiff in a Class Action

Lead plaintiffs usually file the lawsuit on behalf of the other class members. They typically have a lot of responsibilities during the process, unlike the other members in the class action lawsuit who're not required to do anything apart from joining the case. The name of the lead plaintiff will be attached to the class action and will act as a representative of the other members' interest in the lawsuit.

As such, a lead plaintiff must:

  • Begin the class action
  • Provide evidence
  • Have losses similar to the other members participating in the class action
  • File the lawsuit and hire a lawyer 
  • Remain active throughout the class action case
  • Only agree to settlements representing the best interests of the class members

Also, to qualify as a lead plaintiff, you must not have any conflict of interest or have a history of fraud or dishonesty.

How Is Compensation Shared in a Class Action Lawsuit?

The monetary compensation after a class action lawsuit is divided according to the terms of the verdict or settlement. Also, if the class action case is settled out of court, a court must still review and approve that the compensation was adequate and fair. 

The compensation from a class action is divided between:

  • The lead plaintiffs
  • Participants
  • Lawyers who offer legal services in the case

Lead plaintiffs often receive a separate settlement since they dedicate more effort and time to a class action lawsuit.

Hire a Boca Raton class action lawsuit lawyer from Dolman Law Group if you're considering starting or joining a class action lawsuit. We're experienced in handling cases involving big companies and delivering fair settlements for our clients. Connect with us today for responsive legal help with your class action lawsuit. Your first consultation is free.

Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
301 Yamato Road, Suite 1240
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
561-220-4963

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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