CLASS ACTIONS

A class action lawsuit is when a group of people sue a company due to same or similar injuries caused by one product. Class action lawsuits allow one or more plaintiffs to file a lawsuit on behalf of a “group” of people who were wronged by the defendant. Depending on the type of class action, these lawsuits can be filed through state or federal court. The purpose of a class action lawsuit is to provide financial or physical compensation to a large group of people who withstood the same or similar injuries due to negligence of the defendant. The most common type of compensation comes in the form of financial relief.

History of Potts Law Firm and Class Action Lawsuits

• Griddy Electric
• MidAmerican Energy
• Ski Pass Insurance
• Diestel Turkey
• Arch Insurance
• Symmetry Energy
• Amusement Park Season Pass
• Travel Insurance (Generali)
• Ostrim

HISTORY OF THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

Class Action Lawsuits or “group litigations” can be traced back to the early 1200s in England. During this time class actions were somewhat of a norm. When the 1400s rolled around group litigations were more of an exception in England. Fast forward to early 1800s. Supreme Court Associate Justice Joseph Story influenced the class action litigation to survive in the American court system. The United States Federal Equity Rule 48 is known to be the earlies predecessor of the class action lawsuit. This rule allowed for representative suits when there were too many individual parties involved. Through the years, Rule 48 changed and eventually became Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 1938. In 1966, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure had a major revision to Rule 23 and allowed for the option to opt-out in a class action litigation. This was the year that the modern class action lawsuit was born.