General
A class action is a legal action where one or more individuals along with their attorney pursue a case for themselves and a group of other individuals in a similar situation. The individual who brings the claim is called the “class representative” and the group of other individuals is referred to as “the class”.
Class Representative
The class representative’s first responsibility is to present his/her case to the lawyer and to give the attorney as much information as possible in helping to understand the facts and the issues. After the lawyer accepts the case and gets a court to certify the class, the class representative assists the lawyer in preparing the case for litigation. He/she must be willing to serve as the lead plaintiff (or one of the lead plaintiffs) in the actual case filed with the court and be named as such.
The class representative must have all the same factual characteristics and legal issues as each other member of the class. The class representative typically does NOT have to bear the burden of expenses in litigating the class action.
Advantages
Costs – the costs are assumed by the attorneys representing the class. Once a settlement is reached the attorneys’ costs are reimbursed from the settlement amount.
Less Risk – if a class action fails, no member of the class pays any professional fees or other expenses to the opposing party or the class representative’s own lawyers.
Justice – damage awards in class actions are often much higher in total than individual claims. These awards send a message to the employer that it must abide by and obey the laws that exist regarding its treatment of its workers. These awards also serve to give some damages to every member of the class who has been wronged by the employer.
Our Experience
Tim Pauley, an attorney at the Pauley Law Group, pllc, has litigated and represented workers in many types of class action litigation issues against national and Washington corporations. These include discrimination in the areas mentioned above in particular the areas of unpaid overtime both under federal and state laws.
The material on this web site is for informational purposes only. We are not providing legal advice. Using this website does not create an attorney-client relationship between Pauley Law Group, pllc and the user or browser. You should contact the attorneys at Pauley Law Group, pllc directly to obtain legal advice or legal representation.
