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Capitol
Comment 273 - Class Action Lawsuits: We Are All Victims Now
Not everyone is getting rich through tech stocks these days. There is a
large group of people becoming wealthy through another hot investment: the
state-based class action lawsuit. Unfortunately, it is the trial lawyers
who reap huge benefits, while plaintiffs often receive only coupons. The
Class Action Fairness Act of 1999 (S. 353) is a positive step towards
reining in frivolous class action lawsuits and the trial lawyers who
encourage them. We all become victims when class action lawsuits
are abused. A class action lawsuit is a vehicle that allows a
series of identical or similar claims to be heard as one case, rather than
filing each case individually. For instance, if a credit card company
wrongly overcharged every cardholder by $1,000, each card member could
participate in a class action, rather than suing the credit card company
individually. Class actions are designed for cases such as the credit card example.
There are so many plaintiffs that having each bring the exact same claim
would be inefficient. Moreover, the issue in each case is exactly the
same: did the credit card company overcharge each cardholder? A judge must certify a class action before it
moves forward. In making that determination a judge must find
that: The class is so numerous that joining all parties is impracticable,
there are common questions of law or fact, the named parties adequately
represent the interests of the class, and common issues of law or fact
dominate over individual issues. Unfortunately, in many state courts,
judges are no longer effective gatekeepers for class action lawsuits. The problem with the current class action
landscape is that most state courts certify classes when they should
not. Specifically, state courts often certify groups of
plaintiffs who do not necessarily have similar issues of law or fact.
According to the Federal Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil
Rules, corporations are facing a 300 percent to 1,100 percent increase in
class-actions. Further, sometimes state courts certify classes that bring
frivolous or marginal claims. For instance, The Chicago Tribune reported a class action
settlement involving the rock band Milli Vanilli’s record label
where the class members each received $1-$3, while the lawyers asked for
nearly $2 million in legal fees. State court certification of frivolous classes
often forces the defendant to settle, even though they have done nothing
wrong. The class action allows one lawyer to represent
literally thousands of plaintiffs against one defendant in one trial.
Because of the sheer magnitude of the class, corporations often settle
class actions, rather than risk a verdict that puts them into bankruptcy.
Only plaintiffs’ lawyers benefit from current
class action rules. When defendants capitulate to the threat
presented by class action lawsuits and decide to settle out of court, the
trial lawyers get to negotiate their fees, often without their clients’
knowledge or approval. For trial lawyers this is critical, for the fees
will be covered by the defendant as part of the settlement. These fees
that sometimes reach into the billions of dollars, often leave the
plaintiff with next to nothing. Even if the class wins, individuals may not see any benefit. Class
actions can result in consumers receiving coupons for nominal amounts of
cash or merchandise credits, while their attorneys receive millions of
dollars in fees. For example, a class action lawsuit settled against the
manufacturers of a computer monitor resulted in each plaintiff receiving a
coupon for $13 off a new $250 monitor, or the right to a $6 cash rebate in
the year 2000. The lawyers representing the class received $5.8 million in
fees. When attorneys reap their rewards they reinvest
a portion to find a new class-action target. Indeed, an entire
industry has emerged that exclusively focuses on finding new ways to
identify class action lawsuits. Trial lawyers use mass mailings and other
means to automatically force you into a class action lawsuit, unless you
explicitly reply, opting out. Normally, we would applaud such enterprising behavior. After all, our
country was founded on free enterprise and the entrepreneurial spirit. But
the majority of these class-action lawyers damage our economy, while
benefiting no one but themselves. Injured class members do not fully
benefit, businesses are hurt, and the rest of us are forced to pay.
Businesses have no choice but to pass class action costs onto
consumers. Right now the Senate is considering a measure, S. 353, that may rein in
runaway class action lawsuits. The legislation would make it easier to get
class-actions moved out of state courts and into federal courts, which are
more consistent in their decisions to certify a class, and are better
equipped to handle these cases fairly. The House passed similar
legislation last year. The Senate needs to reform class actions
throughout the United States. The reforms found in S. 353 are
needed to ensure that the class action lawsuit remains a valued option to
provide justice, rather than providing a cash cow for plaintiffs’
attorneys.
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