What types of class actions may be filed?
Most class actions are filed to recover money. Class actions may also be filed to resolve disputes over a “limited fund,” where the money available is inadequate to fully compensate all class members. Occasionally, what’s called “declaratory judgment” class actions are filed asking for a decision from a court as to the rights and obligations of the parties. Sometimes class representatives may be asking the court to order a person to do something or stop doing something. That’s called an “injunctive relief class action.” For example, a class action may be filed to request that the court order the police or authorities to stop doing something unconstitutional or to enforce environmental rights.
Most class actions are filed for compensatory (money) damages. Class actions may also be filed to resolve disputes over a “limited fund,” where the money available is inadequate to fully compensate all class members. Occasionally, class actions are filed to seek a declaratory judgment. Finally, a class action may seek injunctive relief. For example, a class action may be filed to request the court order the police or authorities to discontinue an unconstitutional practice.
Most class actions are filed to recover money. Class actions may also be filed to resolve disputes over a “limited fund,” where the money available is inadequate to fully compensate all class members. Occasionally, what’s called “declaratory judgment” class actions are filed asking for a decision from a court as to the rights and obligations of the parties. Sometimes class representatives may be asking the court to order a person to do something or stop doing something. That’s called an “injunctive relief class action.” For example, a class action may be filed to request that the court order the police or authorities to stop doing something unconstitutional or to enforce environmental rights. Return to index . . .
Most class actions are filed for compensatory (money) damages. Occasionally, class actions are filed to seek a declaratory judgment. Additionally, many class actions seek injunctive relief. For example, a class action may be filed to request the court order the authorities to discontinue an unconstitutional practice, or as in this case, order ICANN to enforce its policies to protect the public and the integrity of the Internet. For millions of consumers, participating in a class action is an almost effortless process. Class members are seldom required to do much more than submit a proof of claim and wait for their share of the recovery. The primary disadvantage of a class action, is that despite the large settlements common to class action lawsuits, the settlement must be distributed to a large class of plaintiffs. As a result, individual recoveries are usually quite small.
