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What is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A class action lawsuit in employment law is when a group of employees sues an employer together. They do this for similar violations of labor laws or workplace rights. Instead of each employee filing an individual lawsuit, the group (or “class”) combines its claims into a single case. This approach is often used when the alleged harm affects a large number of employees in the same way, making it more efficient and cost-effective to address the issue collectively.

How a Class Action Lawsuit Works

  1. Certification of the Class: A court must certify the group as a “class” by determining that the employees share common legal or factual issues and that a class action is the best way to resolve the dispute.
  2. Class Representative: One or more employees act as the “class representative(s)” to represent the interests of the entire group.
  3. Notification: All potential class members are notified of the lawsuit and given the option to join (opt-in) or exclude themselves (opt-out).
  4. Resolution: The case may be resolved through a settlement, trial, or dismissal. If successful, the damages awarded are typically distributed among the class members.

Benefits of Class Actions

  • Efficiency: Resolves similar claims in one case rather than multiple individual lawsuits.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces legal costs for employees by pooling resources.
  • Accountability: Holds employers accountable for widespread violations.

How an Employment Attorney Can Help

  • For Employees: An attorney can help employees understand their rights, file the lawsuit, and represent the class in court.
  • For Employers: An attorney can defend against the lawsuit, negotiate settlements, and ensure compliance with labor laws to prevent future claims.

Class actions are powerful tools for addressing systemic workplace issues, but they can also be complex and require skilled legal representation on both sides.

Our Class Action Practice Areas

1. Business and Commercial Transactions

  • Issues: Drafting and reviewing employment contracts, non-compete agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other business-related employment documents.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Ensures compliance with employment laws, protects business interests, and mitigates risks in transactions involving employees.

2. Employment Litigation Defense

  • Issues: Defending against lawsuits from employees, such as wrongful termination, discrimination, or wage disputes.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Represents employers in court, negotiates settlements, and builds a strong defense to minimize liability.

3. Human Resources Consulting

  • Issues: Compliance with labor laws, employee handbooks, workplace policies, and training.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Advises HR teams on best practices, ensures policies align with legal standards, and helps prevent legal disputes.

4. Product Liability

  • Issues: Claims involving workplace injuries caused by defective products or equipment.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Represents employers in product liability cases and ensures proper risk management strategies are in place.

5. Business Litigation

  • Issues: Disputes involving employment contracts, trade secrets, or breaches of fiduciary duty.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Provides legal representation in court or arbitration and works to resolve disputes efficiently.

6. Class Actions

  • Issues: Large-scale lawsuits involving multiple employees, such as wage and hour violations or discrimination claims.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Defends businesses against class action lawsuits, manages complex litigation, and negotiates settlements.

7. Discrimination

  • Issues: Claims of unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Defends employers against discrimination claims and ensures compliance with anti-discrimination laws.

8. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in California

  • Issues: Violations of employee rights under FMLA, such as denial of leave or retaliation for taking leave.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Advises employers on FMLA compliance and defends against claims of FMLA violations.

9. Harassment

  • Issues: Claims of workplace harassment, including sexual harassment or hostile work environments.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Investigates claims, defends employers in lawsuits, and helps implement anti-harassment policies.

10. Personal Injury

  • Issues: Workplace injuries or accidents leading to personal injury claims.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Represents employers in personal injury cases and ensures compliance with workplace safety regulations.

11. Pregnancy Leave

  • Issues: Violations of employee rights related to pregnancy leave, such as denial of leave or discrimination.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Ensures compliance with pregnancy leave laws and defends against related claims.

12. Wage and Overtime Claims

  • Issues: Disputes over unpaid wages, overtime, or misclassification of employees.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Defends employers in wage disputes and ensures payroll practices comply with labor laws.

13. Whistleblowing

  • Issues: Retaliation claims from employees who report illegal or unethical practices.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Defends against whistleblower claims and advises on creating a culture of compliance.

14. Wrongful Termination

  • Issues: Claims of termination in violation of employment contracts or public policy.
  • How an Attorney Helps: Defends employers in wrongful termination lawsuits and ensures termination practices are legally sound.

Sophisticated Legal Guidance at Glaser Labor Law

Glaser Labor Law has the experience necessary to handle difficult and complicated litigation. Our attorneys have proven time and time again that they are formidable, focused, and thoroughly prepared to take on the most complex legal disputes.

Joel Glaser is well known for his work handling wage and hour class actions and class actions concerning defective or dangerous products. He has successfully used strategies to achieve results other lawyers could not, including several successful Pick Up Sticks defenses of wage and hour class actions and dismissal of individual defendants in multi-party, multi-district consumer class actions.

When the stakes are high, you need attorneys who have the skill, strategy, and determination to protect your rights. Contact Glaser Labor Law today to discuss your case.