THE CLASS ACTION
CON GAME

A Silicon Valley business pays $1,500,000 in lawyers' fees to settle a class action lawsuit in which the entire class receives $8,000. Class action lawsuits were designed to resolve the legal claims of groups of people who have suffered small, similar losses in cases that do not justify individual lawsuits. Unfortunately, class actions have been misused by lawyers who exploit their clients' misfortunes to obtain millions of dollars in legal fees while class members receive little or nothing.

One federal judge has openly acknowledged that the class action system functions under the principle that often a bad settlement for class members (and large fees for the attorneys-we would add) is the easiest and most preferable way to resolve class action lawsuits.

PROBLEMS
WITH CLASS ACTIONS

• Consumers do not learn that they are plaintiffs in a lawsuit until after the case is settled.
  
  
• Settlement notices are intentionally written in legalese to discourage class members from reading them.
  
  
• Settlements offer class members useless coupons which will never be redeemed.
  
  
• Busy judges are interested in removing cases from their dockets; defendants are interested in obtaining litigation peace while plaintiffs' lawyers demand excessive legal fees (as high as $15,000 per hour). Class members' interests come last.
  
  
• As abuses pile up, practices once considered outrageous become acceptable simply because they happen so often.

CLASS ACTION WATCH:
DEDICATED TO
FIXING THE SYSTEM

Class Action Watch is an educational organization dedicated to protecting the interests of consumers and the general public in class actions. The principal protection provided to class members in the class action process is the fairness hearing at which a judge approves the settlement and awards attorneys' fees. However, once a settlement is reached, lawyers on both sides join together and class members have no effective representation. Letters sent by class members objecting to proposed settlements are typically ignored.

• Class Action Watch provides a clearinghouse of information about past and pending class action settlements.
  
  
• Class Action Watch alerts the media to controversial class action settlements.
  
  
• Class Action Watch organizes citizens to protest class action abuse.

HOW YOU CAN
FIGHT BACK

Join Class Action Watch's efforts to bring justice back into America's courtrooms.
To learn how you can help, call (510) 597-1579 or write us at:

Class Action Watch
3160 College Avenue, Suite 203
Berkeley, CA 94705

Tel: (510) 597-1579
info@classactionwatch.org

Please Note: This website is under construction.