Class Action lawyers in Kansas City

In a class action, one person (or a small group of people) files a lawsuit on behalf of a larger group of people. The “larger group” – the group of people the lawsuit represents – is the class. When a lawsuit is filed, it will define the proposed class. Anyone who meets this definition will be known as a class member.

Although a lawsuit may be filed and proposed as a class action, it doesn’t officially become a class action until the judge in the case issues a ruling known as class certification. In granting class certification, the judge is giving the go-ahead for the case to proceed as a class action. In a federal case, the judge will certify a lawsuit as a class action only if the attorneys for the class are able to satisfy several requirements.

A class action is a lawsuit filed on behalf of many individuals who have suffered a similar financial harm or physical injury. Multidistrict litigation, on the other hand, is made up of many individual lawsuits filed in federal district courts across the country.

The main difference is that a mass tort case is filed on behalf of one person, while a class action could potentially affect thousands of people. Mass torts usually involve dangerous drugs and medical devices.

If a class action is successful, the attorneys representing the class members usually receive a percentage of the amount that is recovered by the lawsuit or a fixed amount that is separate from the settlement fund.  The judge presiding over the class action must review the attorneys’ request for fees to make sure it is reasonable.

This depends on the type of class action lawsuit, which may require you to “opt-in”  and affirmatively elect to join the case.  Other types may not require an “opt-in” but will require to you take certain steps to claim any entitlement to the amount of awarded proceeds.