How is the class determined in a class action lawsuit?

In a class action lawsuit in Washington, the class of plaintiffs is determined by the court. To be eligible to join the class, the plaintiffs must have suffered the same type of injury from the same defendant. The court will evaluate the similarities between the claims of plaintiffs before determining whether the class should be certified. The court will also consider the size of the class and whether the individuals have a common interest in the case. It is important that the class be large enough so that it is economically and procedurally practical to litigate all of the claims together. This means that the class must be numerous enough that it would be difficult or impractical to litigate the claims one-by-one. The court must also determine whether the class is cohesive, meaning that the class members have a common legal or factual interest in the suit. If the class is determined to be cohesive, all of the class members will have the same legal representation for their claims. In order for a class action lawsuit to move forward, the court must certify that all of the requirements have been met. Once the class is determined and certified, members of the class must be notified of the lawsuit and their rights in order to move forward. After this, the legal process will continue and the class will proceed in hopes of obtaining the desired outcome from the defendant.

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How is the class determined in a class action lawsuit?

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