Class Action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued. Class actions are commonly referred to as class action suits; however, this phrase is redundant as the historical distinction between "actions" at law and "suits" in equity is no longer recognized. This form of collective lawsuit originated in the United States and is still predominantly a U.S. phenomenon. However, in several European countries with civil law, as opposed to the Anglo-American common law system, changes have been made in recent years that allow consumer organizations to bring claims on behalf of large groups of consumers.
Read more about Class Action: U.S. Federal Class Actions, Advantages, Criticisms, Ethics, Defendant Class Action, Mass Actions, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, India, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland
Famous quotes containing the words class and/or action:
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
—Frederick Douglass (c.1817–1895)
“The greatest pleasure I know, is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.”
—Charles Lamb (1775–1834)