Melbourne Class Action Consumer Litigation Lawyer

There are a number of federal and state laws designed to protect consumers from corporate wrongdoing. Many of these laws allow consumers to directly sue the offending business for monetary damages or injunctive relief. Unfortunately, consumers often fail to take advantage of these laws, typically because the amount of damages available to them individually is relatively small or just not worth the time and expense of litigation.

But as we all know, companies usually don’t just violate the rights of a single customer. Their practices often end up harming hundreds–if not thousands–of customers. By joining together, these affected consumers can file a class action and seek compensation as a group. An experienced Melbourne class action consumer litigation lawyer can advise you in such matters. At the Pendas Law Firm, we represent plaintiffs in filing class action complaints and seeking appropriate compensation from defendants on behalf of all class members.

How Do Class Actions Work in Florida?

A class action is a legal mechanism used to join together multiple claims that all involve the same or similar injury. For example, if a company has committed consumer fraud against thousands of its customers, those customers could join together in a single class action. By doing so, all of these individual plaintiffs can consolidate various aspects of the litigation, including the attorneys and evidence involved. After all, it would not be practical to depose the same witnesses in 1,000 different cases all involving the same alleged misconduct.

Class action complaints are generally filed by an individual or small group of plaintiffs who seek to act as a “representative” on behalf of the entire class. Keep in mind, many consumers may not even be aware that their rights have been violated by the defendant. The class representative is responsible for taking reasonable steps to notify all potential class members, usually through mass media. Individuals can then choose to “opt in” or “opt out” of participating in the underlying class action.

Most consumer class action litigation never makes it to trial. Instead, the class representatives and the defendants will negotiate a settlement. This settlement, which must still be approved by the court, includes a plan to distribute any proceeds to the individual class members and compensate the attorneys for their work. But whether the class action leads to a settlement or a jury verdict, the final outcome will bind all members of the class who opted in.

Contact the Pendas Law Firm Today

Class actions can cover a wide range of cases, including defective consumer products, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, and unfair debt collection practices, just to name a few. Basically, any case where consumer rights have been affected in some way may provide grounds for a class action when a substantial number of potential plaintiffs are involved.

So if you would like to speak with an experienced Melbourne class action consumer litigation lawyer about your own possible case, contact the Pendas Law Firm today to schedule an initial consultation.