When a single person, or a small group of people sue, usually a company, in the name of a larger number of people, that is called a class action lawsuit. There are two issues of this kind of suit, regardless of the nature or the matter of it, of which all Orange county lawyers are aware, are that the aspects that are being disputed are relevant to all members of the group, and that the number of those affected is so great, that for each one to participate in an individual case would be impractical.
This is the definition of the case that was illustrated in the movie “Erin Brockovich“. All the members of the community were affected by the chemicals in the water, so many, and all of whom would not have been able to afford single cases. All members of the group are bound by the resolution. These kinds of suits are often started when either one, or a few of the persons affected come forward with a problem that is affecting the whole. Fraud or deceit is a common lawsuit that has taken its toll on large number of people.
Other cases are ones in which a company is accused of discrimination, either based on gender, age or race. Other cases may involve people who have purchased the same product and were similarly harmed by that product. In the medical field, groups of patients prescribed medication, without being made aware of the possible effects, and then having experienced the consequences of those effects is reason for a class action lawsuit.
These suits are intended to enhance a number of policies. Many times these are the only means for which many people are able to find justice. The corporations such as the pharmaceutical companies or the insurance companies have the money and the lawyers to defend themselves, far exceeding the financial means of the victims. However when people join together, the playing field becomes equal.
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