Class Action Lawsuits
At Kneupper & Covey, we’re always happy to consider a class action where large numbers of consumers are being hurt in the same way. We started our firm with an investigation of various companies that were signing people up for “free samples” of products without telling them they’d be billed for a monthly subscription. We’ve filed class actions on various kinds of products including wrinkle creams, Keto diet pills, and hair loss cures.
In a class action, one person acts as the “class representative” for everyone who was injured. They’re the person named on the lawsuit, and they have duties to participate in the case in various ways. That generally means attending a deposition and settlement negotiations or mediations, and can involve reviewing various documents and other materials to help the attorneys guide the case and to ensure the class members have a voice at the table. Because it involves this work, if the class action is successful, the class representative is compensated for their time at the end, usually between $2,000 and $5,000.
For a class action to be successful, there have to be common issues and a large group of people who are generally injured in the same way. That could mean seeing the same false advertising on a label for a product, for example. Or it could mean that everyone went to the same website or to similar websites and had a very similar negative experience. Class actions make the most sense when everyone was injured, but for small amounts of money. It may seem like a big deal that a can of tuna didn’t have the quality of fish it claims it does, for example, and maybe people only lost a dollar or two each—but that money adds up, and companies shouldn’t get away with cheating people just because each person only lost a little.
If you think you’ve been injured in a way that might make a good class action, call us at 657-845-3100. We represent consumers in most of our cases on contingency, where we only charge a fee from the money we recover. We don’t charge for consultations and don’t charge a fee to evaluate your claim. If your claim doesn’t work as a class action, you might still be able to pursue it on your own individually.
What are some examples of class action lawsuits?
There are all kinds of them, but for a few examples:
1) Product Mislabeling – If you buy a product in the store that says something deceptive on the label, everyone usually experiences the same injury. For example, lots of products say they’re organic or natural when they’re not. Or it might claim to give you some fantastic health benefit that isn’t really true.
2) Data Breaches – New consumer privacy laws mean a lot of class actions are focusing on data breaches, where companies let your passwords and other personal information get hacked and posted on the Internet.
3) Defective Products – Recent class actions have sued over pipes used in homes that leaked routinely or refrigerators with defects that caused water leaks. Any kind of consumer product could have a common defect – cars often have serious issues that the manufacturer knows about but decides are cheaper not to fix, for example.
4) Ingredient Quality Misrepresentations – Often products will claim to be higher quality than they are, for example, there have been class actions over sheets with lower thread counts than advertised or pillows that claimed to use high grade Egyptian cotton but were actually lower quality materials. When consumers think they’re buying the higher quality version, they’re overpaying.
5) Price Fixing – Lots of class actions in recent years have focused on allegations of price fixing, where a small group of companies controls an industry and work together to keep prices high and make consumers pay more.
These are just some examples – class action lawsuits are going on all the time. But even if your case wouldn’t make a good class action, that doesn’t mean you can’t sue on behalf of yourself.
Contact Us for a free consultation
Do I have a potential class action?
We won’t know without looking at your case whether it is a possible class action or whether it would be better suited to an individual lawsuit, but we don’t charge for case evaluations or consultations. Call Kneupper & Covey at 657-845-3100, or e-mail us at contact@kneuppercovey.com.
We handle lawsuits and arbitrations by consumers against businesses who treat them badly, and if you’ve got a good claim, we take most cases on contingency and we may be able to help.
