What types of cases are sutiable for class actions?
• Four factors determine if a class action is appropriate. First, and most obvious, there must be so many similar claims that it’s more practical for them to be resolved in one lawsuit instead of several. This is called numerosity. Second, the claims must be similar. They must share common factual disputes and/or common questions of law so that they can all be resolved in the same lawsuit. This is call commonality. Third, the persons named as class representatives or named plaintiffs must have claims that are typical of the class. This is called typicality. The claims need not be identical, but merely representative of the average class claim. Finally, the persons named as class representatives or named plaintiffs must be capable of adequately representing the class. This is called adequacy. Adequacy means representing fairly the claims of all class members, and not using the lawsuit to reap its benefits at the expense of other class members. A typical class action might involve a defe
