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California Wildfires

We’re Ready to Answer Questions for Those Who Have Lost Their Home, Business or Have Been Injured or Lost a Loved One

Class Action vs. Mass Tort

What’s the difference? Class Action is a type of legal action where a lawsuit is filed on behalf of an entire group of people who share a set of unfortunate circumstances, damages and injuries. These proceedings are designed to cut down on the number of court cases that arise when many are harmed by the same problem.

Mass Tort lawsuits are different. Although mass tort claims also attempt to reduce the number of court cases in the system, they must be handled differently, covering a much broader range of claim types. THE KEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASS TORTS AND CLASS ACTIONS HAS TO DO WITH HOW, PROCEDURALLY, THE LARGE GROUP OF PLAINTIFFS IS TREATED With Mass Torts each plaintiff, even though they are part of a large group, is treated as an individual. That means, for instance, that for each plaintiff certain facts need to be established, including anything individual to that particular plaintiff, and how that person has been damaged by the actions of defendant. On the other hand, in a class action the large groups of plaintiffs, known collectively as the class, are represented by a class representative, who stands in for the rest of the class. This means all members of the class are treated as one plaintiff, not separately.

The bottom line: Individuals who file a Class Action lawsuit obtain little or no compensation and class action lawsuits are most effective at generating large costs-in the form of legal fees – that benefit both Plaintiff and Defense lawyers only.

At The Law Offices of Becker Law Group, we specialize in filing Mass Tort Actions with the discretion and the individual attention warranted by the situation. If you or someone you know has been affected by the Northern California wildfire, please contact Todd Becker directly at (562) 708-1111 or via email at becker@beckerlawgroup.com or contact attorney Brian E. Shear at (800) 946-6332

With You Every Step of the Way