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What can I expect if I join a class action lawsuit?
There is a certain class action lawsuit being filed, the identity and nature of which I am witholding to make sure that my answers are neutral and not skewed by personal opinion. I am interested in, and eligible to join it as a plantiff, as I am quite upset about the situation connected to it, and believe that situation to be illegal and a violation of my rights.
The thing is, I know only a little bit about class action lawsuits. I know the general, as to what they are, and I know what I need to do to join this lawsuit, but I do not know what to expect as far as what will be expected of me once I join. I don't necessarily mind if something is expected of me, whether it be money or appearance in court, I just want to know beforehand what to expect before I sign my name.
This is set to be a high profile case when it hits the course, and there are several other lawsuits like it that are also soon to be filed. There may be thousands of plantiffs in this lawsuit alone, though there is potential for there to be far more than that. I am not interested in compensation or money (no, really, I'm not), I just want a very wrong situation to stop and not happen again. And I want to do my part to make it happen, if I can.
I cannot afford a lawyer, otherwise I would inquire of one first. Any information on class action suits, and what to expect as a plantiff, would be most welcome. Thanks for any info in advance, and God bless!
Well, at the risk or making answers partisan and dependant on ideology, it is Rand Paul's class action lawsuit against the Federal Government for the NSA spying programs. I have been wanting to sign my name to it since it was announced, but I want more information and I want to know what will be expected of me first. Again, I don't care if I see a dime, I just want the unconstitutional spying programs shut down and, if possible, the parties that allowed it punished for their crimes.
2 Answers
- Katy MLv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
That depends on a lot of things. It would help to know what the amount of damages were in this situation. If everybody had $10,000 worth of damages and there are 10,000 of you involved in the suit, they'll probably settle for 7,500. The lawyers will agree to that, because they will get at least 30% of that, or $22,500,000. Then, you would get $5,250. That's not too bad. If the damages are less than that, though, you can go ahead and file in a small claims court without a lawyer and probably do better, without letting lawyers get ridiculously rich off something that has nothing to do with them. Not a big fan of class action lawsuits, although I realize sometimes a company does something really wrong and needs to be punished.
- 8 years ago
This is an unaswerable question without knowing the situation. In most cases, it will never go to court. Most class actions are in fact nothing more than money grabs by lawyers, and are settled out of court. In that case, most plaintiffs get peanuts, the lawyers make millions.
But obviously, in some cases testimony is needed from victims. So there is no way of saying what will be 'expected' of you.
