A class action is a lawsuit filed by one or more plaintiffs (who are known as the "named plaintiffs") on behalf of others who have a similar legal claim. Because they allow people to join together as a group in one lawsuit against common defendants, class actions are important for consumers. The old adage "power in numbers" holds true in class action cases. By spreading the costs of litigation, which can be substantial, among many people, each individual claim can achieve justice. Class actions, comprised of groups of consumers working together to stand up for their rights, demand the attention of corporations and other wrongdoers.

Billions of dollars. Over the past 3 years alone, ClassAction WatchDog has tracked over $50 billion dollars that has been available to collect. This does not account for the class actions that have not reached resolution over this time period...there are currently thousands of class actions pending that will ultimately pay out billions of dollars.

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, the majority of this money is available for the average person to collect. Millions of people have had a right to collect money from class action cases. There are hundreds of different settlements each year, more than can easily be listed, settlements for users of prescription drugs, insurance companies, auto manufacturers, credit cards, and many more products and services. To this end, billions of dollars from class action settlements have historically been unclaimed by consumers, investors, small businesses and the public. Last year alone, hundreds of millions of dollars reverted back to companies who were either found to be in the wrong, or who agreed to settle cases that were filed against them.

Here's why: Many people entitled to money simply don't know it. They may never receive official notification of their legal rights from the court. Many others are intimidated by the length and complexity of legal documents that must be completed to claim money. For these reasons, large numbers of people simply do not take advantage of their personal legal rights. In short, they are being denied justice. When they don't take advantage of their rights, money put up in settlements goes back to the company who agreed to settle.

It's often very simple. Depending on the nature of the case, there may be a claims process established where you complete a claim form and submit your information. After your claim is validated, you receive a check.

Class action cases can settle sometimes within 1 year, though most of them take over 1 year, some as long as 3 - 5 years or longer. There are thousands of cases each year, and not all of them reach settlement. Some cases will ultimately be thrown out of court for various reasons. Other cases will result in recoveries for class members.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions put out there by Big Business and other groups who don't want consumers to have any rights to sue their companies when they defraud people. While lawyers can often receive anywhere from 5% to 1/3 of a settlement, Goliath corporations pay their lawyers billions of dollars each year to insulate them from liability for fraud, faulty products and other grounds of liability. Plaintiff lawyers, who file class actions for consumers, must meet fire with fire. To make this happen, these lawyers go to banks and take out millions of dollars in lines of credit to fight the Goliath corporations. Class actions for lawyers function much like investments do for an investor. Without these lawyers filing these cases, corporate greed would run rampant on our rights. Plaintiff lawyers can often lose substantial money on a class action. Ultimately, they hope that they succeed in enough cases to get a return on their investment and a return for the class. While human nature is to envy lawyers who make millions of dollars on a class action, remember that they make significant investments in terms of money and personnel to fight giant corporations. When they succeed, they might make millions, but they also recover many more millions for consumers who, without the lawyers' effort, would have had no return. Further, in class actions where the individual recovery per class member is relatively small, the total payout to the class is often significant enough to dissuade egregious corporate behavior in the future.

You can make sure you protect your legal rights by receiving notice of these class actions. Unfortunately, our court systems have not figured out a way to assure that everyone gets notified of their rights, which is why being a ClassAction WatchDog member is so important.

The ability to join together in one lawsuit is particularly important for our judicial system to function efficiently. Without class actions, thousands, possibly millions of claims might theoretically flood the court system. And it might not be economical for a person to file suit, by the time they consider that litigation can often cost thousands of dollars. Instead, the class action procedure encourages the filing of one single case on behalf of all people harmed, minimizing the need for thousands of individual cases. More importantly, class actions encourage more responsible behavior on the part of corporate defendants.

Over the past several years, certain corporations, PAC's, and other interests have attacked class actions and the attorneys who bring them. Much of this criticism has been unfounded. In particular, corporations and related organizations have the goal to eliminate any recourse consumers and other injured parties have to the court system to obtain legal redress. Many citizen's groups and consumer groups and other public watchdogs, from Ralph Nader's Public Citizen to Consumer's Union, support class actions and the power they give lawyers to assure corporations pay for their misdeeds.

We all want to assure that we don't get injured or ripped off. We've seen too many Enrons and Worldcoms. The attorneys who practice in this area have seen hundreds of companies whose corporate missions place more emphasis on profits over people. For the average person, at the end of the day, our judicial system achieves justice by distributing money to people who have been hurt or ripped off.

Up until ClassAction WatchDog, this has been a big challenge. Each year, billions of dollars are available. Courts require that the lawyers who represent a class provide notice to class members, but only when there is a proposed settlement. Notice is imperfect. For example, there is often no way to identify each member of a class, or notice is too expensive. Sometimes you read the paper or a magazine and see an ad. Other times, you may receive something in the mail. Often, you'll receive nothing. In the past, there was no easy way to stay up-to-date on class actions that apply to you until we came along.

ClassAction WatchDog finds the majority of class actions and tracks them for you. We are a one-stop shop for class actions. We find new class actions that were just filed, and ones that are settling. We put the power of information in your hands. Either online or via the mail, we send you new class actions, along with product recalls, so you can see if any apply to you. If so, we give you the information where you can go to get more information or make a claim. We keep you updated as these cases progress through litigation. Thousands of class actions and recalls, many which may entitle you to money. We also empower you as a consumer to make strong life decisions on the products and services you use.

Easily, visit ClassAction WatchDog. Once you sign up, we'll ask you to tell us a little about you, such as what car you drive, what insurance companies you use, and other categorical questions. We'll match your information to class action cases over the time you're a member. At first, there may or may not be a match on a current class action. Over time, you should expect to see matches. We'll also keep you updated on these matches, as not all class action matches are in settlement stage. Some new class actions that we match you to may take time until they move through the lawsuit process, so we'll periodically update you to let you know how the case is going. We'll also send you periodic listings of new class actions and recalls that are not matches but which you still may have interest in. You'll always get the story behind what each class action is about, who may qualify, and who the lawyers are in the case. You'll get what is called the case "docket" information, including all contact information, addresses, phone numbers, websites, court information, and sometimes copies of the actual lawsuits if you're online. In certain cases, you'll be entitled to free lawyer case reviews. Bottom line - you will at some point find class actions that make you money….but more importantly, you'll be informed on what products and services you should use so you don't get burned.

Yes, your information is not sold or rented. The owner of ClassAction WatchDog adheres to the highest privacy regulations.

ClassAction WatchDog is an informational service. This does not substitute for legal advice. The service provides contact information for lawyers in various class actions. You must contact them for particular advice on each class action.