Class Actions
If a company’s negligence, hiding information, or intentional actions have caused harm to numerous people, those individuals – known as plaintiffs – may have a much better chance of success by combining their cases and evidence into what is known as a “class-action” lawsuit. If you were harmed by a defective product or a dangerous drug, there is a good chance you could seek compensation through a class action. Whether you want to join an existing class-action lawsuit or start one of your own, assistance from a qualified personal injury attorney with the Miller Injury Firm is often crucial to boosting your chances of success. Our experienced Middle Tennessee class-action lawyers can walk you through how these cases work and will fight tirelessly to recover comprehensive compensation from the party who wronged you.
Understanding Class Actions
The easiest way to describe a class-action lawsuit is to compare it to another type of lawsuit involving multiple plaintiffs known as a mass tort. On a basic level, both types of cases involve a group of individuals with similar or identical causes of action against the same defendant(s) working together to achieve a favorable outcome in civil court. However, each plaintiff in a mass tort maintains their own case separate from the others, so each mass tort member may demand a unique amount of compensation for unique damages. Conversely, plaintiffs in class actions combine all their cases into one claim, sharing evidence and resources among each other and splitting whatever compensation the claim recovers evenly among all class members. Our lawyers at the Miller Injury Firm could answer any other questions you have about joining a class action suit in Middle Tennessee.
How Do You Recover Compensation Through Class Action?
Under Rule 23.01 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, you may only start a class action lawsuit if there are too many prospective plaintiffs for a mass tort to be practicable and if all class members, as well as their prospective representative(s), share common legal issue. Furthermore, Rule 23.02 only allows class actions if there is a significant risk that separate actions would produce inconsistent or unfair results for certain class members compared to others for similar legal issues and damages. Once a class-action lawsuit begins, all eligible members of the class should be notified about the existence of the lawsuit and their eligibility to participate. In most situations, inclusion in a class-action lawsuit is automatic, unless you expressly notify the court overseeing the case that you wish to opt-out. Our seasoned lawyers in the area could offer you guidance and support about whether a class action is the best course of action for your circumstances.
Get In Touch With Our Middle Tennessee Class Action Attorneys
Since they inherently involve a large number of plaintiffs, class action lawsuits do not always allow individual class members to recover the full value of their damages as a matter of practicality. That being said, class actions often give you a much greater chance of actually recovering compensation from massive corporations and conglomerates. Working with a Middle Tennessee class action lawyer with the Miller Injury Firm could be key to reaching a positive resolution to your case. Call us today at 615-922-5693 or contact us online to learn more.