How to Join a Class Action Lawsuit
In a class action lawsuit, the claims of multiple persons with a common interest are brought to court by one plaintiff representative and decided in one proceeding. There are benefits to joining a class action suit, such as sharing the costs with others making the same claim, thus eliminating economic barriers and ensuring that all persons who have the same type of suit are treated equally.
The Supreme Court of Canada states that court proceedings allowing representative actions can be interpreted to allow for class proceedings, and this allows access to justice by groups of persons who are taking legal action with a common interest. The provinces that allow class proceedings in Canada are Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Labrador, Newfoundland, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Joining a Class Action Suit
To join a class action lawsuit, contact the lawyer or law firm that is handling the case. To find this information, you can do a general search on the Internet, or contact the courthouse or court clerk to find out who is representing a specific case.
When you get in contact with the lawyer or firm that is handling the case, tell them that you wish to become involved. Many lawyers do not require you to visit their offices in order to become a member of a class action suit.
They will take your name and address and then send out paperwork. This paperwork must be filled out in its entirety and sent back to the office within a specific time frame in order for you to be included in the lawsuit.
The Paperwork
The paperwork will consist of many pages, one of which will give the lawyers or firm the right to be known in the courts as your counsel and to act on your behalf when it comes to the proceedings, negotiations and outcome of the case. Subsequent pages explain what others in the case are alleging and will ask you whether you are in agreement with or against these allegations.
If you are in agreement with these allegations or have other allegations to add to the suit, there will be areas for this information to be entered. If you read through the paperwork and find that you have questions about any of the information, it is best to contact the lawyer or law firm for further instructions.
If you are unsure of how to proceed, it is best to visit the office of the lawyer or law firm handling the case so they can help you to fill out paperwork and answer any questions about the case. You will get correspondence from the firm or lawyer about the standings of the case, as well as a payment if one is ordered by the court.
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