A class action is a type of civil claim brought by one or more individuals on behalf of a larger group, made up of class members. Class action lawsuits are common where the same party injures a group of people in the same way. The interests of the group are represented by one individual known as the "class representative." The class is treated as a group that was injured, rather than a group of individuals that were injured. Rather than having each person bring his or her own lawsuit, a class action allows the group to collectively sue the at-fault party to resolve the claims in a single legal proceeding.
Class action lawsuits provide an efficient way to litigate common issues. They can focus on multiple areas of law, including personal injury and product liability. By creating a group or class, class action lawsuits create power in numbers. A class action is a way to equalize the playing field against a large entity.
Unlike class-action lawsuits, a mass tort action involves many injured parties against one or a few at-fault parties.
Mass tort actions are similar to class actions; however, a mass tort action treats each injured party individually, rather than as an injured group. It can be an efficient and cost-effective way to navigate the legal system for multiple parties experiencing the same or similar injuries.
Mass tort actions can focus in various areas of law, including personal injury, product liability and medical negligence.
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