Info on class action lawsuits?

July 13, 2005 2:02 PM

What's a reliable, trustworthy source for information about class action lawsuits?

I believe there's a class action lawsuit going on that my company could very well benefit from, but I can't seem to find any reliable information about being involved on the web, just websites advertising lawyers. What's the best way to go about finding information?

posted by ThePinkSuperhero to work & money (4 comments total)

Lawyers generally use Mealey's Class Actions. The archives aren't free, however. This looks like a reasonably comprehensive (and free) alternative.
posted by ajr at 2:17 PM on July 13, 2005

If you're looking to launch a class action, talk to a lawyer. Obviously, you'll need one anyway.

If you're talking about a class action suit that's already happening, then you already have lawyers and you can probably talk to them for free. Just call the law firm that's leading the suit.
posted by winston at 3:40 PM on July 13, 2005

Can you post the name of the defendant in the lawsuit without disclosing too much information about you or your company?

If not, I would start by running some Google searches and searches on the site ajr posted using the name of the defendant company plus search terms like "lawsuit," "class action," etc. I know this sounds very basic and you may have done it already, but it's a necessary first step because there are often websites devoted to giving information about class action suits, especially the big ones. (E.g., WorldCom.)

If that doesn't work, you should try some searches in the better news databases, such as Nexis if possible or whatever free alternatives you use. Plaintiffs' lawyers typically issue press releases when they file class action complaints, and those releases end up in the newspool somewhere.

If you know where the lawsuit is pending, you can get the docket sheet from the court and look for documents that may be of interest. You can do this remotely for most courts, although you may have to pay something for it.

If your company is a member of the class, you should ultimately get some form of notice about the lawsuit. But in some circumstances you won't get a notice (i.e., where notice is only published in the paper), so this may not be wholly reliable.

Once you have identified the lawsuit, you should be able to track down the firm representing the plaintiffs' attorneys and speak to them about whether your company can or should be involved. This contact information might be on a website about the case if there is one; otherwise you can get it from the docket or other court papers you find. Typically plaintiffs' attorneys are more than happy to add to their roster of clients.

If you don't know the name of the defendant(s) in the lawsuit, it will be tough to track this information down, unless the subject matter is unique, in which case you may be able to identify the case online.
posted by brain_drain at 8:15 PM on July 13, 2005

The defendant would be Saks- the whole story has been in the news the past few months. Apparently, there was a period where they were overcharging (to the point of it being obscene and possibly illegal) their vendors through chargebacks (which are fines a buyer charges to a seller for not completing an order up to their standards), and now it's possible the vendors might get that money back.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:04 PM on July 13, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]