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Welcome to Michael J. Hassen's Blog. Here you will find over 2,000 articles related to class actions.

Creating A Class Action System&#8211What A Country Should Consider

Mar 19, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

An Introduction To Issues That Must Be Addressed By Any Country Considering Enacting Or Modifying Class Action Legislation

Several countries are considering the use of class action lawsuits. This article’s purpose is to identify the important issues one should consider in evaluating the fairness and efficacy of class action litigation.

A class action lawsuit can be devastating. The staggering costs of merely defending against one – let alone the cost of actually losing – have forced many American corporations into bankruptcy or caused their management teams to be replaced. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that class action discovery can be a form of extortion; it can force a company to surrender and settle a lawsuit, because it cannot afford to properly defend itself.

When it devised the class action lawsuit as a procedure to streamline civil litigation, Congress did not anticipate it would be used as a weapon to injure companies which may have technically violated that law, but not caused any harm. In California, alone, up to 100 class action lawsuits are filed every week – thousands every year. Most are not properly class actions in the true sense; they are not legal proceedings in which persons represent interests common to a large group of persons who have been actually injured. Instead, most are premised on the technical violation of some statute, where the supposed violation has not actually harmed anyone. Frequently, an attorney files a class action so he can compel defendants to settle it, and he can demand attorney fees as a direct result. Essentially, most class action lawsuits are “attorney fee motions” disguised as “legitimate” lawsuits.

A country considering implementing a class action system should learn from our flawed system. The author cannot address all of the factors a country should consider in determining whether to implement a class action procedure, or what limits to impose to prevent lawsuits from being filed for the sake of generating attorney fees rather than helping injured people. But the author hopes it will give legislative bodies pause to consider consequences that follow class action litigation.

Class Action Articles Topics of Interest

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New Song-Beverly Class Action Filings Slashed In Half Yet Retain Top Spot Among Weekly Class Actions Filed in California State And Federal Courts

Mar 19, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

To assist class action defense attorneys anticipate the types of cases against which they will have to defend in California, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame.

Class Actions In The News

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Lull Before The Storm: Song-Beverly Class Action Filings Soar And Retain Top Spot Among Weekly Class Actions Filed in California State And Federal Courts

Mar 12, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

As a resource for California class action defense attorneys, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame. This report covers the time period from March 4 – 10, 2011, during which time a record 98 class actions were filed in these courts.

Class Actions In The News

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Slight Decrease In Song-Beverly Class Action Filings But Still Top Labor Law Class Actions Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Mar 5, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

To assist class action defense attorneys anticipate the types of cases against which they will have to defend in California, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame.

Class Actions In The News

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California Supreme Court Ruling Prompts Surge In Song-Beverly Class Action Filings Dropping Labor Law Class Action Into A Distant Second Place Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Feb 19, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

As a resource to California class action defense attorneys, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame. This report covers the time period from February 11 – 17, 2011, during which time a remarkably high number of class actions (89) were filed in these courts.

Class Actions In The News

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Labor Law Class Action Filings Remain Below 50% But Maintain Top Spot Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Feb 12, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

To assist California class action defense attorneys anticipate the types of cases against which they will have to defend, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame.

Class Actions In The News

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New Labor Law Class Action Filings Hold Top Spot Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts But Remain Below 50% Of Class Actions Filed During Past Week

Feb 5, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

As a resource to class action defense attorneys, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame. This report covers the time period from January 28 – February 3, 2011, during which time 54 new class actions were filed in these courts.

Class Actions In The News

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Employment-Related Class Action Filings Inch Closer To 50% Mark And Retain Top Spot Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Jan 29, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

To assist class action defense attorneys anticipate the types of cases against which they will have to defend in California, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame.

Class Actions In The News

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Labor Law Class Action Filings Stay Below 50% But Maintain Top Spot Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Jan 22, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

As a resource for California class action defense attorneys, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame. This report covers the time period from January 14 – 20, 2011, during which time 44 new class actions were filed in these California state and federal courts.

Class Actions In The News

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New Labor Law Class Action Filings Fall Below 50% Of New Class Action Lawsuits But Hold Top Spot Among Weekly Class Action Filings In California State And Federal Courts

Jan 15, 2011 | By: Michael J. Hassen

To assist class action defense attorneys anticipate the types of claims against which they will have to defend in California courts, we provide weekly, unofficial summaries of the legal categories for new class action lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Oakland/Alameda and Orange County areas. We include only those categories that include 10% or more of the class action filings during the relevant time frame.

Class Actions In The News

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