Congressional Digest

Excerpt

Class-action lawsuits allow groups of individuals to join together to pursue legal recourse that, due to a lack of resources or the size of individual claims, they likely could not undertake on their own. Such lawsuits have been filed in State and Federal courts on behalf of consumers who have bought faulty products, individuals with grievances against their employers, citizens protesting government actions, and for countless other causes.

To be certified as a class, the participating individuals have to have certain characteristics in common, as set forth by law. For a Federal class-action suit to proceed —…