Consumer Lawsuits

When you purchase a product or service, you expect the company to be fair and not take advantage of you. Unfortunately, some businesses are deceitful, costing you money. Sometimes, the financial losses are severe.

Consumer protection lawsuits give you a remedy to hold the company liable for their abusive practices. With a lawsuit, you can recover financial compensation for your losses. To find out about your legal options, talk to a consumer protection attorney for legal advice.

What Is a Consumer Lawsuit?

A consumer rights lawsuit is a way to get compensation for losses caused by negligent business practices. As a consumer, you can file a lawsuit against a company or corporation to protect your consumer rights. Consumer lawsuits can involve different types of consumer rights violations.

Some federal or state consumer protection laws give you a cause of action to file a lawsuit against a company. You can also sue the company for common fraud, breach of contract, or unfair trade practices.

You can recover damages in a consumer lawsuit, including actual losses and punitive damages. Punitive damages punish the company and deter them from continuing their wrongful conduct. In some consumer lawsuits, you can also get attorney fees to cover litigation costs.

What Are the Types of Consumer Rights Claims?

Consumer lawsuits cover a variety of ways consumers and businesses overlap. Types of consumer rights claims include:

• Breach of warranty
• False advertising
• Product liability
• Loan scams
• Deceptive trade practices
• Privacy violations
• Bait and switch
• Illegal fees
• Lemon laws
• Unfair debt collection

Depending on the type of claim you have, you may file a complaint with your state’s consumer protection agency. You can also file a lawsuit against the business to seek damages. Consulting with an experienced consumer protection lawyer can help you determine the best course of action.

Defective Products and Medical Devices

Frequently, class-action lawsuits involve medical devices or dangerous products. These defective product lawsuits are product liability cases. Product liability claims allow injured people to seek compensation for injuries caused by:

• Design defects
• Manufacturing defects
• Warning label defects

Examples of product liability cases include dangerous drugs, defective airbags, and asbestos exposure.

What Is a Class-Action Lawsuit?

While you may pursue a lawsuit on your own with a lawyer, you may not be alone in your suffering. Others may be out there who are pursuing the same claim. Instead of multiple individual claims, these lawsuits are grouped together to form a large, class-action lawsuit.

A class action lawsuit allows multiple people to join the lawsuit because they involve similar claims. If a company is ripping off consumers for a small amount of money, it could be too expensive for the consumer to file an individual lawsuit. Class-action litigation combines the claims to increase the penalties against the deceptive company. Mass torts and data breach cases are types of class action cases.

To certify a class action, you need to show why the court should combine the claims. The elements of a class action include:

• There’s a definable group of class members
• There are ways to identify class claimants
• There’s such a number of people that separate claims would be impracticable
• There are common questions of law or fact
• The class representative’s claims are typical of the proposed class
• The representative plaintiffs will adequately protect the interests of the class

Many class action cases end with a settlement. The class action settlement allows each member of the class to recover a portion of the total settlement amount. For more information about these types of legal actions, talk to a consumer protection lawyer.

What Are Federal Consumer Protection Laws?

Several federal consumer protection laws protect you from companies making dangerous products or taking advantage of you. Some of these laws include:

• Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDA)
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
• Truth in Lending Act
• Fair Credit Billing Act
• Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

States also have their own consumer protection laws. Some state laws take federal consumer protection standards and add more protections for consumers.

How Can I Find a Consumer Rights Lawyer?

Many consumer protection lawyers offer a free consultation to review your situation and determine if they’re a good fit for you. These lawyers also typically work on contingency fee agreements. A contingency agreement means you’ll agree to pay them a set percentage of any compensation you recover at the end of your case. This limits the financial risk of hiring a lawyer.

Some lawyers specialize in specific types of consumer complaints. Find a lawyer with experience handling cases like yours. Contact a consumer rights lawyer to protect your legal rights.