What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?
A class action lawsuit is a claim in which a group of people collectively bring a complaint to court. These types of lawsuits are filed against a defendant by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of a group of “similarly situated” people.
State and federal courts have their own procedural rules governing class actions. Most agree that the group must share similar injuries caused by shared circumstances that raise the same legal issues.
The court must determine that there are sufficient similarities and that separate lawsuits would be impractical or burdensome. Then it will certify the group as a class and allow them to litigate their case collectively.
Class action lawsuits involving mesothelioma and asbestos began surfacing in the late 1960s. At the time, the public had just become aware of the serious health hazards of asbestos exposure. Since then, judges have resorted to a number of procedural methods to manage asbestos claims that now number in the millions.
History of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Class Actions
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
About 20 years after the first mesothelioma and asbestos class action lawsuits were filed, the number of cases grew to about 20,000.
As awareness increased and doctors diagnosed more people with mesothelioma, the number of claims escalated to 750,000 in another 20 years. Judges were aware of the overwhelming number of claims and the difficulty of managing so many.
In 1991, federal asbestos cases were consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for pretrial purposes. Multidistrict asbestos litigation continues to be heard in this court, and is known as MDL 875.
State and federal courts have their own procedural rules governing class actions. Most agree that the group must share similar injuries caused by shared circumstances that raise the same legal issues.
The court must determine that there are sufficient similarities and that separate lawsuits would be impractical or burdensome. Then it will certify the group as a class and allow them to litigate their case collectively.
Class action lawsuits involving mesothelioma and asbestos began surfacing in the late 1960s. At the time, the public had just become aware of the serious health hazards of asbestos exposure. Since then, judges have resorted to a number of procedural methods to manage asbestos claims that now number in the millions.
History of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Class Actions
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
About 20 years after the first mesothelioma and asbestos class action lawsuits were filed, the number of cases grew to about 20,000.
As awareness increased and doctors diagnosed more people with mesothelioma, the number of claims escalated to 750,000 in another 20 years. Judges were aware of the overwhelming number of claims and the difficulty of managing so many.
In 1991, federal asbestos cases were consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for pretrial purposes. Multidistrict asbestos litigation continues to be heard in this court, and is known as MDL 875.
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