Consumer Class Actions

Birmingham, Alabama

Consumer Class Actions
Consumer class actions are one of the most valuable ways you can protect your rights as a consumer against a large corporation. It is a tool to help you recover any losses due to corporate greed and misbehavior. Consumer class actions are when an individual or group of people sues a company on behalf of a larger consumer group-all having suffered from similar situations.

These particular claims have been successful in keeping dangerous or defective products off shelves and away from stores. Consumer class actions also require shady corporations to pay damages for any misrepresentation about their products or services. By providing an efficient remedy for small claims that might be otherwise overlooked, class actions are a smart move for anyone who has suffered because of a company's wrongdoing.

A Threat to Corporations
Consumer class action suits, however, are a threat to corporations who are continually trying to discredit them. Regardless, these suits remain one of the best tools for large groups of people to win justice for corporate corruption.

A majority of consumer class action lawsuits involve medical devices or pharmaceutical drugs that threaten your health and well-being. Many of these medical class actions suits have pointed the finger at breast implants, penile implants, intrauterine devices, Norplant devices, and certain diet pills. These drugs and devices are blamed for having damaging, sometimes permanent, side effects.

Other consumer class action suits arise from business practices that harm consumers. Overcharging for bank services and false advertising have become the focus of recent class action suits. Employees can even sue their employers for discrimination or violating benefit agreements.

Achieving Class Action Status
If a group seeks a monetary reward, it must achieve "class action status." Mass torts, in which a class of people has been physically injured because of a defective product, are often denied class action status. This is because the injuries can vary so greatly from one person to the next. To achieve class action status, the group of affected people must meet certain state and federal guidelines:

• The company's (defendant's) actions must have affected so many consumers that it makes more sense for a few people to represent the masses.
• While each case may be different, all claims raise the same complaint against the defendant.
• The few representative consumers (plaintiffs) must have the same claims and defenses as the group of people they are representing.
• The plaintiffs and lawyers must qualify as reputable, honest people (no history of lying under oath, no criminal background, etc.)

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by a defective product, medical device, prescription drug, or believe a corporation is to blame for your suffering, please contact the Birmingham class action lawyers at Burke, Harvey & Frankowski. We can help you understand your rights and hold corporations accountable for their misconduct. Call or e-mail us today for a free consultation.

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