What is a Class Action Lawsuit? {{ currentPage ? currentPage.title : "" }}

When a company or individual is involved in a class action lawsuit, it often makes news headlines. You've likely seen these lawsuits involving big-name banks and tech companies. But what exactly are they?

A class action lawsuit is a civil suit involving a large group and a single defendant. The case is on behalf of multiple people or business entities. Class action lawsuits can include millions of class members, but one individual or business will represent the entire group.

Generally, class members will experience similar issues due to the defendant's actions, and the lawsuit aims to get restitution and justice for everyone involved. Depending on the specific laws involved, suits go to either state or federal court.

Lawyers for the representatives of the class action lawsuit will seek damages. If they win, they can use a payout API for class action settlements to ensure every class member gets the restitution they deserve.

Class Action vs. Individual Lawsuits

Technically, every person harmed by a defendant's conduct can file their own lawsuit. But going the class action route is usually the more strategic choice. There are a few reasons why.

First, it's more practical for those looking to get justice. Individually, class members might not have enough damages to justify an individual lawsuit. For example, say that a bank or loan provider charges illegal fees to millions of people. While those individuals deserve to get those fees back, a lawsuit for a couple of hundred dollars is more expensive than the potential damages they'd get.

In that case, a class action lawsuit is the best because representatives can request a cumulative total in damage restitution. There are many examples of defendants paying hundreds of millions of dollars as the result of a class action lawsuit. Lawyers can then use a payout API for class action settlements to get every class member their share of the damages.

Class action lawsuits are also more practical for courts. It's cheaper to go through the legal process one time with a single judge and courtroom. It prevents unnecessary bottlenecks in the court system.

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about multiple payment platforms, payouts API, marketplace payouts and more. You can find her thoughts at easy payouts API blog.

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