What is class action litigation?

Class action litigation is a type of civil lawsuit in which a group or “class” of people with a common interests or legal concerns sue together. In Virginia, class action litigation allows a single lawsuit to be used to resolve a dispute that involves many people with the same complaint. Class action lawsuits are used when a large group of individuals have similar legal claims. For example, a consumer class action lawsuit may be filed against a business if a large number of customers experience a similar harm or loss due to a product or service. In this case, a single lawsuit can be used to resolve the dispute for all of the injured parties, rather than filing separate lawsuits for each person. The settlement or judgment reached in a class action lawsuit applies to all class members. In Virginia, class action lawsuits are typically filed by an attorney on behalf of the class. The named plaintiff, also known as the class representative, must have suffered the same harm as the others in the class. All class action lawsuits must be approved by a judge before the case can proceed. Class actions are a useful way to address large, complicated disputes. But in Virginia and other states, it is important to note that only an attorney can provide specific legal advice about filing a class action lawsuit.

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What is class action litigation?

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