Class Action
Our partners have served as class counsel on a variety of matters, including cases brought under California’s Unfair Competition Law, Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Private Attorney General Act, as well as common law fraud claims, and applicable State and Federal labor regulations.
Unlike Mass Tort Claims that are coordinated by courts in Multi-District Litigations (MDL’s), Class Actions are a type of litigation where many people may have suffered a similar injury and join to pursue results collectively. They can proceed in State or Federal Court, and some require “certification” and a class representative. The object is to reduce litigation costs to the parties and promote judicial economy, particularly in cases where individual losses may be small, but the aggregate loss is large. In this instance, a class action typically helps obtain recovery for all members of the class who otherwise would not be able to bring individual cases.
Representative matters include actions against vehicle manufacturers for concealing defective parts, food manufacturers for false and misleading advertising and labeling, employers for misclassifying their employees as independent contractors or as salary-exempt, consumer electronics manufacturers for intentionally misleading customers about the quality and capability of their products, credit card and phone companies illegally charging or assessing fees and penalties, among others.
Recent successes of Yuhl | Carr include Class Action case against Mercedes-Benz for defective seat heaters generating approximately $72 million in recovery for affected consumers; Class Action settlement against Quorn Foods for mislabeling a product that contained mold as being "similar to or like" a mushroom, generating up to $120 million in potential recovery to the class.
In these types of cases, Yuhl | Carr often associates with other Class Action firms to maximize the client’s recovery.