If you think that an issue such as a medication recall or workplace discrimination that has impacted you has affected others, then it likely has. Individuals often join class-action lawsuits to share litigation costs associated with holding negligent parties accountable for their actions.
One of the first steps that you should take to find others who have faced a similar fate to you is to consult with a class action attorney. They’ll look to see if a suit has been filed. If it has been, then they’ll find out when the notice period went into effect. If the attorneys who’ve filed the case are still advertising for class members, then they’ll put you in contact with the necessary party to the join the suit.
You’ll likely be required to produce some type of receipt or other proof that you utilized the recalled product or that you were treated unfairly before you’re allowed to file suit. If you don’t, then you may not be able to join other class members. You’ll start receiving notices updating you on the status of the case once you provide documentation that substantiates your claims and file suit.
You may be able to opt-out of the mass lawsuit for a while after you join it. It’s possible for you to a suit against the negligent party as the sole plaintiff if you do. Individuals who file suits alone often do so because they want to have more control over how the case is handled. They generally have more serious injuries or illnesses than others as well.
If you file a class action lawsuit and win at trial, then any settlement monies that are awarded to the plaintiffs will be split proportionately among each of you. If you file a case alone, then any award would generally be your’s alone.
It’s generally not hard to find out if a class action lawsuit has already been filed against a negligent designer, manufacturer or distributor of a product. Substantiating your case and deciding what type of plaintiff that you should be can be hard to do. A class actions attorney can explain the pros and cons of choosing one option versus another.
