Class Action

A civil procedure which originated in the United States, based on Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. It is essentially a representative procedure – a number of representative claimants take legal action in the name of all members of the class claiming damages. If they do not wish to take part in the litigation they need to opt-out, otherwise they are automatically included in the class. Class actions are normally associated with the wider context of the US legal system which involves extensive discovery, jury trials, punitive damages, contingency fees, and does not has the 'loser pays rule'.

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