![]() ![]() And it’s difficult to discern upfront whether such a service award would be granted.Ĭlass-action lawsuits can also take anywhere from a few months to several years, which can be an excessive commitment for many. She notes that some courts in some jurisdictions would be able to grant a service award to plaintiffs representing the case, which are often between $2,500 and $7,500, but other courts have found these awards inappropriate. Riley, a partner at Duane Morris and vice chair of the firm’s workplace class-action group. In some cases, becoming a class representative could lead to a bigger payout - but that isn’t always the case.Įven though the class representative is the case’s headline, “That person isn’t necessarily going to get any kind of windfall,” says Jennifer A. If you feel strongly about the outcome of a class-action lawsuit, you can also participate as a class representative, sometimes called a lead plaintiff. ![]() And for certain cases, such as those relating to wage violations or defective products, you may have to opt in.ĬLASS REPRESENTATIVES DON’T ALWAYS GET A LARGER PAYOUT If you’re part of the “class” of a lawsuit - that is, if you were affected by the certain event or purchase described - you’ll often be automatically included in the lawsuit. Lawyers taking on these lawsuits will usually receive payment as a percentage of the settlement won from the company. In most cases, Abney says, plaintiffs of class-action lawsuits pay legal fees on contingency, which means they don’t pay anything unless they win the case. “The beauty of the class action,” he says, is that it adds up individual cases to a number that’s high enough to go up against a large company. Abney, who defends victims of dangerous drugs and defective medical devices at the law firm Watts Guerra. “It’s really a trial by proxy,” says attorney Russell T. But even if you receive only $10 to $20 as compensation, joining a collective lawsuit can help other customers or employees get justice, and may deter a company from harmful practices in the future. In many cases, class-action lawsuits offer such a minor payout to each victim that participation is a matter of principle, not reward. The stakes are high for class-action lawsuits at this level, as they set standards for corporate responsibility in areas such as data privacy, employee discrimination, securities fraud and civil rights.īut in cases where you suffered significant harm, suing individually could secure a bigger payout. history apart from the tobacco settlements decades ago, according to a report from the national law firm Duane Morris. Following a series of large opioid settlements, 2022 had the most billion-dollar class-action settlements in U.S. ![]() Shird of FEMA has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.Īdditional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Commonwealth and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.And there have been many opportunities to do so. declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from February 15 to February 20, 2023.įederal funding is available to Commonwealth and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Bell, Breathitt, Caldwell, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Hart, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell, Whitley, and Wolfe.įederal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire commonwealth.
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