What is class action litigation?

Class action litigation is a type of civil lawsuit where a group of people join together as plaintiffs to make a single, collective legal claim. Class action litigation is often used when there are too many individual claims to see that justice is done. In Texas, class action lawsuits are governed by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Class action lawsuits typically involve the same or similar issues and the same defendants. This type of lawsuit is usually seen when large corporations or other entities are accused of engaging in unfair or illegal practices that have harmed a great deal of people in a similar way. Examples of class action lawsuits may involve product liability, medical malpractice, consumer fraud, and employment discrimination. Each class member brings the same complaint, but individuals may suffer differently from the same wrong. In a class action lawsuit, the representative plaintiff or plaintiffs represent the interests of all members of the class. The members of the class do not have to prove their individual damages, but the representative plaintiff must prove the common damage suffered by the class. If the court certifies the class, the defendant is generally required to compensate all members of the class who have suffered injury, not just the representative plaintiffs. This allows a group of people to seek compensation when individually it may have been too costly or time consuming. As a result, class action lawsuits are often seen as a way to protect the public from unfair or illegal practices.

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What is class action litigation?

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