New Jersey Class Action Lawsuits

New Jersey & New York Class Action Attorneys

Class Action suit in New Jersey.

Nagel Rice has one of the leading class action practices in the country and has served in lead or co-lead counsel roles in nearly 1 billion in class action settlements, the majority of which are national class action settlements. Nagel Rice also has the unique distinction of being the only firm to have argued four cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Track Record of Success

Our talented, diligent attorneys at Nagel Rice, LLP, have obtained over $250 million in settlements or verdicts of class-action suits. We have won substantial damages for our clients against brokerage firms, credit card companies, banking institutions, and health insurance companies. Our practice has the resources to fully investigate every case in terms of evidence, relevant interviews, and accumulated statistics. Moreover, we have the skills to negotiate shrewdly in order to win large settlements. If negotiations break down, we are fully prepared to go to court, using our unparalleled litigation know-how to make sure you win the maximum recovery possible. Among the substantial cases we’ve won for our clients are the following:

Click here for more of Nagel Rice’s Settlements and Verdicts

The Reason Behind Class Action Lawsuits

Class actions are lawsuits in which a large number of people with similar injuries file a combined suit against a defendant who has caused all of them harm. The defendant in a class action suit may be an individual, a group of people, a corporation, or another type of entity. At Nagel Rice LLP, as a comprehensive medical malpractice and personal injury law firm, we have class action lawsuits as one of our special practice areas. We have the distinction of having won some of the largest class action suits in New York and New Jersey. In total, we have won over $1 billion for our clients so far.

The concept of a class action arises out of circumstances in which so many people have been personally injured by the same party that filing individual lawsuits is impractical and not cost-effective. By having one or a few “representative plaintiffs” file the suit on behalf of the whole “class,” the attorney and court costs are limited to a single trial and all the plaintiffs receive their deserved portion of the damages awarded. When class action suits are undertaken, all potential plaintiffs are contacted so they have the opportunity to be included in the class grouping and share in the damages award, or to opt-out.

Types of Class Action Lawsuits

There are many types of class action suits, generally defined by the nature of the defendant being targeted. The following are representative of some of the class action cases Nagel Rice has taken on:

Product Liability

Product liability involves a defective device, pharmaceutical, or another consumer product that has caused harm to many of those who purchased and used it.

Insurance Litigation

Insurance litigation involves disputes regarding inadequate or flawed healthcare reimbursements and/or deceptive behavior on the part of insurance adjusters and executives.

Consumer

Consumer class action involves deceptive advertising, credit card fraud, charging illegally exorbitant interest or membership rates, and other misconduct designed to defraud customers.

Brokerage

Brokerage class action involves improper marketing, sales practices, and investment manipulations that have resulted in inappropriate losses (or diminished gains) to investors and similarly deceptive practices that have negatively affected brokers.

Our experience ranges from class actions concerning defective products to class actions against health insurers who have failed to make proper payments to surgical centers. In our representation of class actions, we commit our wide-ranging resources to develop cases and litigating claims to ensure the maximum possible recovery for our clients.

How Damages Won in Class Action Lawsuits Are Divided

When we win a class action case against a defendant, everyone who has participated as part of the “class” category is entitled to a percentage of the damages. At times, it is too difficult to identify and/or contact every single person who may have suffered as a result of the defendant’s actions. In such cases, we make a fund available to anyone who can demonstrate that they have suffered harm because of the defendant’s actions.

Unusual and Inventive Settlements

On occasion, particularly when “injuries” were minor and/or simple cases of deception or collusion and no plaintiffs were physically or emotionally harmed, the defendant is sometimes able to negotiate a legal arrangement that seems more like a gift than a settlement. An example of this occurred when several department stores agreed to give away free make-up for a limited period in order to reimburse customers they had defrauded by secretly agreeing with one another to keep the prices of their cosmetics artificially inflated.

How Class Action Cases Proceed

Unlike other civil cases, class action suits have to be certified before they can proceed. Though requirements to certify the “class” vary from one state to another, they typically involve presenting evidence that all members of the class suffered similar alleged injuries and that the class can be clearly differentiated from those who are not part of it. Also, the court usually requires that the class is large enough to make separate lawsuits impractical. In most cases, the court accepts a count of 25 to 40 or more class members.

Because the judge who will certify the class is given a fair amount of discretion, it is difficult to predict whether a particular case will be certified or not, and obtaining the certification may be a prolonged and complicated process. If the class is not legally certified, the case is dismissed. If a class is certified, it can be moved on to pretrial procedures. Having an experienced, highly capable attorney is crucial to have a class action suit make it over this first big hurdle.

Why It Is Important to Have A Powerful New Jersey and New York Class Action Attorney on Your Team

When you are filing a class action lawsuit, you should remember that you are typically engaging in a David and Goliath confrontation. Although there may be a great many Davids on your side, the defendant in a class action suit is most likely a giant of wealth and power, often well-connected to other titans of industry and political clout. The defendant has almost certainly retained prominent legal counsel.

At Nagel Rice, we have our own well-earned reputation for outstanding credentials and effective skills. We can therefore ensure you and your class that the playing field has been leveled. If you believe you have a viable class action suit, or even suspect you may be part of a large group of people who have been harmed by the same defendant, please get in touch with Nagel Rice so we can evaluate the situation and guide you. Remember, there is no fee to any of the plaintiffs unless we win your case. You can be in touch with us by phone or by filling out the contact form on our website.

** Preliminary settlement reached. Settlement terminated by defendant.

Nagel Rice LLP services clients all throughout New York and New Jersey including Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County and Sussex County.