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Not a Class Act! | 20 comments (20 topical) | Post A Comment
Let the lawyers get what the plaintiffs get[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#4)
by MrsPost on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 10:46:36 AM PDT

I know this has been said before but it always bears repeating.

If the plaintiffs get coupons off their next purchase, so should the legal team.

What? That's unacceptable! Those lawyers put real time and effort into winning this case so why should they get .. oh.

Yeah, ain't gonna happen unless some federal judge states that in their decision. That whatever penalty imposed on the defendant is the same penalty the lawyers get, per hour.

100 hours of work? 100 $10 off coupons your next purchase.

That's the only way class action settlements are going to change and it would be great to see that if it ever happened. But the legal system is designed to protect the lawyers just like the income tax system is designed to protect the tax accountants. Nothing is going to change.

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You missed the point...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#5)
by Anonymous User on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:45:22 PM PDT

... of a class action which is to provide a financial penalty against the offender to discourage repeat offences. Restitution is absolutely secondary - class actions may involve a few dollars per person, but a lot of persons.

The lawyer fees issue is often raised by Big Business when arguing for tort reform to kill class action law. It's a red herring. Like an earlier post remarked, the idea is to punish the offender with a painful fine.

Classic example is cramming. No-one will sue their phone company for a five dollar cram on their bill, even if repeated every month. Yet the practise is fraud. Class action provides a civil remedy to fix the problem.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]



yes but[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#6)
by Anonymous User on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 01:18:58 PM PDT

another comment above says: "A class action suit isn't supposed to be a moneymaking proposition for the members of the class..." But beside your very valid point, class action suits shouldn't be moneymaking propositions for the attorneys either. Yes they should be paid for their time and expertise, but no more than that.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]


Not a Class Act! | 20 comments (20 topical) | Post A Comment
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