Montana Class Action Lawyer

When an individual has been harmed by another party’s actions, it can form the basis for a civil suit. However, when multiple individuals have all suffered similar harm due to the actions of a single defendant, those affected may find that they have a greater chance of success with legal recourse by banding together into a class. A Montana class action lawsuit lawyer is an invaluable asset if you believe you qualify to participate in such a case.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Class Action Lawsuits in Montana

The team at Bliven Law Firm, P.C., has more than 35 years of experience representing clients throughout Montana in a wide range of complex civil cases, including class action lawsuits. We understand the frustration and confusion you are likely to experience when you have been harmed by the actions of a corporate entity, and we can help you make sense of your legal options in this difficult situation.

Participating in a class action lawsuit offers some advantages as well as some drawbacks compared to what you would expect in a standard individual civil suit. If participating as a plaintiff in a class action is an option for you, we can help you understand the differences and determine whether this is the right choice for you.

Understanding Class Action Lawsuits in Montana

In a class action lawsuit, multiple plaintiffs join in a single case against a defendant rather than each plaintiff filing an individual case. This streamlines proceedings significantly, allowing the members of the plaintiff class an easier path to ensuring accountability and recovering compensation for their damages. Usually, a single member or a small group of the plaintiff class actively participates in the case on behalf of all members of the plaintiff class.

It only requires one plaintiff to start a class action lawsuit. Other plaintiffs who have suffered similar damages from the same defendant’s actions can join after proceedings have already started, in some cases, after a settlement has already been reached. However, when multiple plaintiffs wish to join together in a class, their case must be certified by a judge. The judge must determine that it would not make sense for each plaintiff to file an individual case.

The greatest advantage of joining a class action lawsuit comes when the individual plaintiff’s specific damages would not justify the cost of pursuing a single case, but when multiple defendants’ total damages collectively add to a substantial amount. An experienced Montana class action lawsuit lawyer at Bliven Law Firm, P.C., can help you determine whether your situation meets these criteria.

Commonly cited reasons for class action lawsuits in Montana and throughout the United States include:

• Cases alleging workers’ rights violations.
• Environmental damage claims, such as a company dumping toxic substances into a local area that negatively impacts the health of those living and working nearby.
• Investment and securities fraud cases.
• Data breaches that expose customer personal information over the internet.
• Product liability class actions in which multiple end users of a product have all suffered similar damages from the same product or type of product made by a single company.

In 2024, class action lawsuits throughout the United States awarded billions in compensation to plaintiffs:

• Product liability class actions amounted to $23.40 billion in damages.
• Antitrust class actions generated $8.412 billion in damages.
• Consumer fraud class actions generated $2.44 billion in damages.

The largest class action settlement of 2024 in the United States resulted in the company 3M being compelled to pay out $10.3 billion in damages and $1 billion in attorneys’ fees to compensate for water contamination with PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) used in their manufacturing, chemicals commonly called forever chemicals due to their strong chemical bonds that make them exceedingly difficult to clean from the environment.

It is important to keep in mind that if you participate in a class action lawsuit of any kind, success with the case will result in a single lump sum that will then be divided equally among all members of the plaintiff class. Depending on the severity of your damages and the specific details of the case, it could mean you will be settling for less than you may have obtained with an individual civil suit in exchange for ease and expediency compared to filing a single suit.

Class action lawsuits are often conflated with mass tort cases, in which multiple plaintiffs all allege individual damages against a single defendant. In a mass tort, each plaintiff can be awarded damages that are specific to their individual experiences. Plaintiffs will have more individual control over their cases, but mass torts can take significantly longer to resolve.

By comparison, class actions can be resolved more quickly but with less individual compensation for each member of the plaintiff class. Legal fees are also spread over the entire class, resulting in less expense for each individual plaintiff. Class action lawsuits offer efficiency and expediency compared to what you could expect when filing an individual claim.

Ultimately, mass torts are more suitable for cases involving plaintiffs who each have unique and significant damages, whereas class actions are more effective when they involve widespread but relatively small amounts of damages for multiple claimants. Bliven Law Firm, P.C., can listen to your story and help you determine the optimal path to recovering as fully as possible from your damages.

Find Your Montana Class Action Lawsuit Lawyer Today

If you are unsure whether you qualify to participate in a class action lawsuit, we can help. The team at Bliven Law Firm, P.C., has extensive experience handling individual personal injury cases, mass tort cases, and class action lawsuits for clients throughout Montana, and we are confident we can guide you to a positive outcome for your case.

During your initial consultation with our team, we can review the damages you suffered. We can determine whether a class action lawsuit is already in progress and potentially coordinate with multiple plaintiffs. Time is a crucial factor in your case, so contact us today and schedule your free initial case evaluation with a Montana class action lawsuit lawyer to learn how we can assist you with your recovery efforts.