What is a class action? Are there benefits to class actions?
Class actions were designed as ”an exception to the usual rule that litigation is conducted by and on behalf of the individual named parties only.” One primary purpose of the class action is to promote judicial economy and efficiency by obviating the need for multiple adjudications of the same issues. Class actions are particularly appropriate when the ”issues involved are common to the class as a whole” and when they “turn on questions of law applicable in the same manner to each member of the class.” Class actions involve a group of plaintiffs (or sometimes defendants) who share certain damages or types of legal claims. The group, or class, consolidates its arguments into a single lawsuit for resolution in court. Because most class members will not have their own lawyers, courts require special procedures to protect class members’ interests. The benefits of class actions include the enhancement of access to the courts by spreading litigation costs among numerous litigants with sim
