No specific amount of people is needed for a class action lawsuit. A single plaintiff is enough to file the claim. However, the courts are unlikely to certify a class unless there are enough members to make it necessary to consolidate their cases. This means there are a wide range of class sizes possible depending on the facts of any given case.
In general, we recommend you do not worry about whether or not there will be enough people for a class action lawsuit. After your free case review, we will begin digging deeper into the facts of your case and collecting evidence to show the liable party caused your injuries or financial damages.
During this time, we will also consider the number of other potentially affected parties. If we determine there may be several dozen or more, we will likely pursue a class action claim or make use of other similar procedural actions with the court.
What Is the Average Size for a Class Action Class?
Class actions come in all sizes. However, most judges will not certify a class — a necessary step before pursuing compensation in this way — unless there are at least a few dozen people who fit the criteria and suffered injuries in the same way.
As for how large these classes may be, some class sizes can easily reach one million members. Having several million plaintiffs is also not unusual. If the courts certify the recent victims of the Equifax security breach as a class, this class could include one out of almost every two adults in the United States.
Why Are Class Action Classes Typically Relatively Large?
Judges are much more likely to certify a class when there are a large number of plaintiffs who have come forward. This is because these cases are complex, costly, and time consuming to litigate. When a large group of people suffered losses, it makes sense to consolidate them because it allows the attorneys and the court to work more efficiently. The fewer people involved, however, the lower this benefit.
If there are only a few members of a class, it may make more sense to handle the cases individually instead of launching into the complicated class action process. This allows each individual plaintiff to request compensation based on the merits of her own case, and receive damages based on her own situation.
What Are the Advantages of Forming a Certified Class?
The goal of a class action lawsuit is to ensure those who suffered injuries or financial losses can recover some amount of compensation from the party responsible. By consolidating all the similar cases into a single class action, each individual victim does not have to pay for her own legal team or go to court to represent her best interests.
Instead, a single case serves as the class representative and that case’s legal team either negotiates a fair settlement or the judge determines the outcome of the case, and this applies to all members of the class.
As you can imagine, this process is much cheaper and less stressful for the average class member than navigating an individual lawsuit against a large corporation. While it can be difficult to receive class action certification with a small group, we will not hesitate to ask a judge to certify a class in your case if we feel it is appropriate.
Depending on the circumstances, we might pursue other procedural action instead, including mass tort litigation which is sometimes possible with a smaller group of plaintiffs.
How Can I Talk to a Class Action Lawsuit Attorney About My Case?
If you believe others likely suffered damages similar to the ones you did, you need to discuss your situation with someone who understands how these cases work. Our knowledgeable lawyers understand the class action and mass tort process, and can offer legal advice based on the facts of your case. Call the legal team at Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. today at 631-600-0000 to schedule a complimentary case evaluation.
